564 Arrested for Impaired Driving during Holiday Party DUI Enforcement

STATEWIDE — The after party was in a jail cell for 564 Coloradans who drove impaired during the 10-day Holiday Party DUI enforcement period. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and over 60 law enforcement agencies managed checkpoints, patrolled the highways and arrested impaired drivers throughout the state to keep the roads safe for those heading to and from holiday festivities and parties.

“A night in jail is just the first consequence that impaired drivers will face,” said Col. Scott Hernandez, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “The costs can exceed $10,000 when you add up court costs, lawyer fees, insurance rate increases and more.  It’s a cost that can be easily avoided by planning ahead to designate a sober driver or find an alternative ride home.”

During the Holiday Party enforcement period this year Denver Police (99), Aurora Police (74), Colorado Springs Police (51) and CSP (56) were the leading agencies in arrests. In addition to the arrests, there were four alcohol-related fatalities that occurred between Dec. 5 and 15. Within the 12 DUI enforcement periods this year, more than 8000 DUI arrests have been made and over 150 alcohol-related fatalities have occurred in 2014 (according to preliminary data), compared to the nearly 9,800 enforcement period DUIs and 187 fatalities in 2013.

“We have the goal of reaching zero traffic fatalities in the state, and though we aren’t there yet, we continue to implement programs to help us reach this goal,” said Darrell Lingk, Director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT. “The DUI enforcement is one of those programs that we continue to implement to make our roads safe for residents and tourists in Colorado.”

The next DUI enforcement period will occur over New Year’s Eve weekend from Tuesday, Dec. 30 through Monday, Jan. 5.

The Heat Is On campaign runs throughout the year with 12 specific DUI enforcement periods centered on national holidays and large public events. More details about the campaign, including DUI enforcement plans, arrest totals and safety tips, can be found at HeatIsOnColorado.com.