A “Heat Is On” drunken driving enforcement campaign through the Memorial Day weekend, May 26-30, will be run by the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol and local law enforcement

Law enforcement officials recently completed the six-week spring enforcement period and cited 1,936 people for impaired driving, an increase from the 1,870 cited during the same enforcement last year.

The 2016 Memorial Day weekend DUI crackdown ended in 372 arrests for impaired driving, and one fatal alcohol-related crash.

“As we enter the warmer summer months, CDOT hopes fewer people will drive impaired and, instead, plan ahead whenever drinking alcohol,” CDOT Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk said in a release. “The number of DUI arrests we saw last year underscores the importance of the enforcement periods. Unfortunately people continue to risk their lives and the lives of others on the road by driving impaired,”

Ninety-six law enforcement agencies will participate in the Memorial Day DUI enforcement effort this year.

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.

fstone@durangoherald.com