In the largest crackdown of the year, Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol and 118 local law-enforcement agencies will conduct a statewide “The Heat Is On” DUI blitz through Sept. 5 to keep impaired drivers off Colorado roads during Labor Day events.
In July, 25 people were killed in crashes that involved an impaired driver, which is the highest number seen in one month since 2014.
The Labor Day enforcement last year cited 974 impaired drivers, an average of 54 arrests per day, and was the third highest arrest total of the 14 DUI campaigns conducted in 2016.
“Last Labor Day, seven of the nine people killed in traffic crashes were involved in alcohol-related crashes,” Darrell Lingk, director of the CDOT Office of Transportation Safety, said in a news release. “That is the most impaired driving-related fatalities on Labor Day in nine years. It just goes to show that it only takes a few people to make misguided decisions to change several people’s lives forever.”
The last “The Heat Is On” enforcement period was held Aug. 4-14 in response to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, and cited 526 motorists for impaired driving.
First-time DUI offenders can be punished with up to one year in jail, license suspension and steep fines. Penalties increase for repeat offenders.
For more information and tips for staying safe on the road, visit www.heatisoncolorado.com.
