Hannah Brown Memorial Impaired Driving Awareness Rally, Nov. 22 : Maui Now

The Fifth Annual Hannah Brown Memorial Impaired Driving Awareness Checkpoint and holiday sign-waving event takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023.

Organizers are asking the public to celebrate safely this holiday season, and “Think before you drink.” The goal is to remind the public of the dangers related to impaired driving, and to ask everyone to make the smart choice this holiday season—”Don’t drive impaired.”

The event is a time to come together as a community and celebrate the life of Hannah Brown as well as all those whose lives were cut short by an impaired driver. Hannah was the passenger in a vehicle that was struck by an impaired driver who was traveling in the wrong direction on the Kūihelani Highway in June of 2019.

Sober driving advocates are pushing lawmakers to lower the blood alcohol concentration for impaired driving from .08 to .05.

“All impaired driving fatalities are preventable. Do something. Take care of your loved ones and help us prevent any more senseless deaths on our highways by electing lawmakers who support the .05 BAC law,” said Rick Collins with the Hawaiʻi Alcohol Policy Alliance.

“We hope that by memorializing Hannah at this event every year, especially as we enter the most dangerous time of the year for driving, people will stop and think before they get behind the wheel,” event organizers said. “Working together as a community to address this problem we can make a difference and help save lives.”

Wednesday’s event begins at 5 p.m. fronting the County Building in Wailuku at 200 High Street in Wailuku. Organizations participating in the event include members of the Hawai’i Alcohol Policy Alliance and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.