HONOLULU -- Authorities said drunken driving arrests are up in Honolulu, in part because police are stepping up enforcement of DUI laws.

The Honolulu Police Department said DUI arrests increased about 11 percent in the first two months of the year. There were 743 arrests in January and February compared with 674 in the same period last year.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s more people drinking, but with more officers at least we’re catching more people that have been drinking,” said Sgt. Danton Nakama of HPD’s Traffic Division.

The addition of four new members to the DUI team means there are now 17 officers in the unit. Four officers are required at each DUI checkpoint, officials said.

“We can be at four different places or more places where we weren’t able to do it before,” Nakama said.

“So with executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

On the Big Island, police said they saw a 27.4 percent increase in DUI arrests so far this year. There have been 321 DUI arrests in 2010 so far compared with 252 in the same period last year.

Big Island police said they are especially alarmed about the 27 DUI arrests made between March 8 and March 14. Five of those arrested were involved in traffic wrecks. Two were under 21 years old, they said.

Big Island police said Kona had the most DUI arrests so far this year, with 142. South Hilo had 95 arrests.

Honolulu police said they are also focusing their attention on underage drinkers who drive.

They said there will be more DUI checkpoints over the next couple of weeks because of spring break.

Police are cracking down on underage drinking and driving because of the high number of fatalities in recent years.

Authorities said 36 people between the ages of 15 and 20 died in traffic fatalities in Hawaii between 2007 and 2009. They said 15 of the fatalities involved alcohol.

Police said they arrested 54 people between the ages of 15 and 20, under the "zero tolerance law" in January and February

HPD said drivers under 21 years old can be arrested under the zero tolerance law if they have a breath or blood alcohol level of 0.02 to 0.079.

They said anything over that and underage drivers can be arrested for DUI -- 0.08 is the limit.