A regular traffic ticket and a DUI are not the same thing.

A ticket for speeding or an expired registration may be something you can admit and pay. Hawaiʻi’s eTraffic system is for certain traffic and parking infractions where you admit responsibility and no court appearance is required. It is not the place to handle a case that requires court or where you dispute the charge.

A DUI is serious. Do not throw the papers in your glove box and decide you will deal with it later.

Read everything you receive. Look for the case number, court date, hearing date, deadline, and any information about your driver’s license. Put every date in your phone calendar immediately. Then write it on paper too.

Do not miss court because you are embarrassed, angry, or hoping it will go away. Missing a required court date can create a bigger problem than the one you started with.

Keep the facts straight. Write down what you remember while it is fresh: where you were stopped, the time, what happened, who was there, what was said, and what papers you were given. Do not invent facts. Do not start sending long messages to people explaining your side of the story. Save texts, receipts, photos, and any documents that may matter.

If you have a case number, Hawaiʻi’s eCourt Kōkua system lets the public view information from traffic cases in District Courts. It is useful for checking case information, but it is not a certified traffic abstract.

The smart move is not to panic. It is also not to act like nothing happened.

Take the charge seriously. Read the paperwork. Follow every deadline. Get qualified legal advice quickly if you can, especially if there was an accident, injury, prior charge, license issue, or any criminal allegation.

A DUI is not a problem you solve by making excuses. It is a problem you face directly, one deadline and one decision at a time.

This article is general information, not legal advice.