CDOT Launches New Drive High, Get a DUI Campaign, Reminds Drivers to Celebrate 4/20 Responsibly

STATEWIDE — With a plethora of marijuana-friendly events slated around the 4/20 weekend, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is marking the occasion by rolling out its new 2015 Drive High, Get a DUI campaign, complete with several new public awareness tactics that are sure to reignite the marijuana safety conversation in Colorado. These innovative and somewhat unusual tactics include:

•        The Smoking Car — Over 4/20 weekend in Denver, and in Boulder and Fort Collins throughout the summer, Coloradans will notice a “smoking” car popping up at large events.  The car fills with smoke as if people are getting high inside. The smoke quickly dissipates showing the message “Drive High, Get a DUI” in neon lights. Don’t worry when you see the smoke though, staff is on-hand controlling it. The “smoking” car serves as a visual reminder that marijuana and vehicles don’t mix under any circumstances. Contact us for opportunities to view the smoking car.

•        End Game Arcade — CDOT has developed a one-of-a-kind arcade game that are being installed this week at seven dispensaries throughout the state. The game appears to be a classic racing game, but when users attempt to play, a CDOT public service announcement reminds them that driving high is illegal. Players are offered alternative games to play. See below for specific locations where this awareness activity is taking place.

•        Cannabis Cup — On Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, CDOT will have a presence at the Cannabis Cup — an event drawing nearly 40,000 marijuana enthusiasts. As attendees line-up in the morning, CDOT will distribute snacks branded with marijuana safety messaging, and once inside, CDOT is hosting a booth featuring a medley of activities you can legally do while high, reminding people that driving isn’t one of them.

•        Cannabis Quiz Cab — As Cannabis Cup attendees begin to head home, they should be on the lookout for the Yellow Cab Ztrip van for a chance to play the Cannabis Quiz Cab — a partnership between Yellow Cab and CDOT. Participants will answer trivia questions while riding in the Quiz Cab for the chance to win up to $100 in Ztrip credits that can be used toward future rides. The trivia questions will be related to marijuana laws in Colorado, with each correct answer worth ride credit. CDOT has also joined forces with Lyft to offer free rides to first time users of the service with the code “CDOTRIDESAFE.” Further discounts for rides from Uber and Yellow Cab can be found at NoDUIColorado.org.

“With the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, we have a responsibility to pioneer marijuana education campaigns to keep our roadways safe,” said Sam Cole, CDOT’s Communication Manager. “For 2015, we have some unique and eye-catching ways to grab marijuana users’ attention, and hopefully reinforce safe marijuana consumption and laws in the process.”

CDOT first launched the Drive High, Get a DUI campaign last year airing TV commercials to remind Coloradans that while they can now legally do plenty of things while high, driving isn’t one of them. The highly successful campaign received national media attention and accumulated over a billion media impressions. It significantly helped raise awareness of the “Drive High, Get a DUI” message to 46 percent recognition among the Front Range. CDOT is again airing the commercials throughout April, as well as distributing informational prescription pads and window clings to dispensaries statewide to show their support for the campaign.

The increased education coincides with The Heat Is On Spring Events heightened enforcement period running from Saturday, April 4, through Sunday, May 17. Colorado has 212 active law enforcement officers across 62 agencies that are Drug Recognition Experts (DREs). DREs go through specialized training to recognize impairment from a wide variety of drugs.

CDOT implemented the Drive High, Get a DUI campaign in March 2014 to inform drivers about the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana, with the goal of reducing the number of drug-related DUIs, traffic crashes and fatalities. For more information on marijuana impaired driving, visit DriveHighDUI.com.

End Game Arcade locations:

•        Cannabis Cup – CDOT and Tru Cannabis booths

•        Cervantes’ Masterpiece - 2635 Welton St., Denver, CO

•        Denver Relief - 1 Broadway St., Denver, CO

•        Doctor’s Orders - 1406 W 38th Ave., Denver, CO

•        Medicine Man - 1901 S. Havana St., Aurora, CO

•        Options Medical Center - 9085 44th Ave., Wheat Ridge, CO

•        Santé Alternative Wellness - 742 1/2 Main Ave., Durango, CO

•        Tru Cannabis - 5130 E Colfax Ave., Denver, CO, and 719 Billings St., Aurora, CO