Luck Runs Out for 682 Colorado Drivers Over St. Patrick's Week

March 24, 2011 - Traffic Safety - DENVER, CO- The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and statewide law enforcement agencies arrested 682 Colorado drivers for impaired driving over the St. Patrick’s Day DUI “Heat is On!” enforcement period, which occurred March 11-18, 2011. During that time period, five people were killed on Colorado roadways, but none of those fatalities was alcohol-related according to preliminary information.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and its partners encouraged St. Patrick’s Day party-goers to “Make the Call” to a sober designated driver and also download its free R-U-Buzzed app on iPhone or Android, which estimates Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). The newly released Android app received more than 1,100 downloads during the enforcement period. The iPhone app still proves to be popular with more than 8,000 downloads so far this year.   Since it was first introduced in December 2009, it has been downloaded more than 170,000 times.

“The R-U-Buzzed app is a great tool for people to help them understand how few drinks it can take to put them over the legal limit of .08. But it’s always a good idea to plan ahead and to have a sober designated driver before going out,” said Col. James Wolfinbarger, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “As we head into the spring and summer months, we will be increasing DUI enforcement again. Don’t make the mistake these 682 Colorado drivers made last week.”

In Colorado Springs, CDOT partnered with Designated Driver of Colorado Springs which offers drivers a free sober ride home in their own car. Over the St. Patrick’s holiday week, Designated Driver gave 283 sober rides, keeping drunk drivers off the roads and keeping other drivers safe. The group says it broke a record on St. Patrick’s Day night, providing 91 sober rides, compared to its previous record of 72 in a single night.

“Our community partners play such a vital role in helping us get our sober driving message out,” said Pamela Hutton, governor’s representative for highway safety at CDOT. “Almost 300 drivers chose to “Make the Call” to arrange for a ride home through Designated Driver in Colorado Springs, thousands chose to download the app on iPhone or Android, yet there were still more than 680 arrests. It shows that we need to continue to get the message out in any way possible.”

For detailed information about arrest results by agency, visit www.HeatIsOnColorado.com.