The Hannah Brown Memorial Impaired Driving Awareness Movement Marks Its 7th Year

Charlene and Everett Brown deliver remarks on the dangers of impaired driving, accompanied onstage by their son.

The 7th Annual Hannah Brown Memorial event was held on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at the County of Maui building to remember the loss of nineteen-year-old Hannah Brown. The gathering was organized by the Maui Coalition for Drug-Free Youth (MCDFY), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the Maui Police Department’s Traffic Section, and Hannah’s family and friends. Since Hannah’s life was tragically cut short by an impaired driver in 2019, her loved ones have held this annual event to remember her and to raise awareness about the ongoing impacts of impaired driving.​

County of Maui Mayor Richard T. Bissen Jr. addressed attendees, reminding the community that, “As we enter the holiday season, this gathering is a powerful reminder to slow down, to look out for each other, and to choose safety before getting behind the wheel. From my years at the bench, I’ve seen lasting things that impaired driving brings into the courtroom. That experience guides my commitment as mayor to prioritize prevention, accountability, and community education to keep our residents safe.”

Maui Prosecutor Andrew Martin shared thoughts as well, encouraging the community to carry Hannah’s message forward. “We come together every year, and we gather at this event to listen to Hannah. To listen to what she is communicating to us. And it’s so important that we leave here and take the time to listen to what Hannah is telling us: she is telling us to be persistent, encouraging, and fighting for lasting change.”

As part of ongoing efforts to prevent further loss, the Hawai‘i Alcohol Policy Alliance (HIAPA) has introduced a 0.05 BAC bill in recent years to lower the legal threshold from 0.08 to 0.05. Rick Collins, Director of HIAPA and MCDFY, reminded the community of its importance: “We have some of the highest fatality rates due to alcohol in the entire world and it’s completely unnecessary and we can make a change with a tried and true measure by reducing the BAC to a 0.05.”

Charlene Brown, who lost her daughter Hannah on June 23, 2019, at age 19, shared, “Our ultimate goal is for everyone here to know who Hannah is, regardless if you ever met her. And everyone who has met her will back me up in saying that this girl has a heart of gold. Drinking and driving is wrong. It destroyed our lives, our whole family’s life, and every other life that has been taken because of a drunk driver has been destroyed.”

She closed by urging everyone to stay safe this holiday season and to remember Hannah any time someone considers drinking and driving. That message remains at the heart of the movement’s call to action: “Remember Me.”