Big Island police arrested 27 motorists for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant over a seven-day period from last Tuesday through yesterday.

Sgt. Kelly Kaaumoana-Matsumoto of the Hawai'i County police traffic services section said three of the drivers arrested were involved in accidents and three others were under the legal drinking age of 21.

Seventeen of the 27 arrests occurred in Kona and seven in South Hilo. The two districts are 1-2 in DUI arrests with 253 and 185, respectively, for the year. Big Island police had made 567 DUI arrests through yesterday as compared to 509 by the same date last year, an increase of 11 percent, said Kaaumoana-Matsumoto.