Frightening! Halloween DUI Enforcement Yields 349 Arrests

STATEWIDE—CDOT, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and statewide law agencies collaborated to halt impaired drivers over Halloween weekend, the latest high-visibility enforcement effort as part of CDOT's The Heat Is On campaign. From Oct. 26 through Nov. 1, officers arrested 349 drivers, a decrease from the 375 citations last year.

"Our goal is to keep the road safe for all users, and impaired drivers pose a serious hazard to themselves and others. It only takes one or two drinks to reduce your coordination, reaction time and judgement," said Darrell Lingk, director of CDOT's Office of Transportation Safety. "A DUI is a mistake that will haunt you the rest of your life. Unfortunately, 349 drivers selfishly chose to put everyone on the roads in danger during Halloween."

Throughout the state, 74 agencies reported results from the Halloween weekend enforcement period, with the Colorado Springs Police Department (39), Denver Police Department (23) and Loveland Police Department (14) recording the highest arrest totals. The CSP made 57 arrests statewide.

"With many alternative ride options available, there is never an excuse to ever get behind the wheel when impaired," said CSP Chief Col. Matthew Packard. "As we head toward the end of 2018, we will continue to enforce DUI and DWAI infractions until there are zero impaired driver crashes and fatalities on Colorado roadways."

During the Fall Festivals DUI enforcement period, which ran from Sept. 14 to Oct. 22, officers arrested 1,801 impaired drivers, an average of more than 45 arrests per day. The arrest total marks a decrease from the 1,863 arrests made during the same enforcement last year. The most arrests came from the Colorado Springs Police Department (187), Denver Police Department (157) and Aurora Police Department (106). The Colorado State Patrol reported 255 arrests statewide.

The Heat Is On will return Nov. 16 for a 10-day Thanksgiving holiday DUI enforcement. Last year, 617 drivers were arrested for DUI during the same 10-day heightened patrol.

Access CDOT's The Heat Is On arrest database for all enforcement periods. Arrest data can be sorted based on enforcement period and law enforcement agency.

The CDOT Highway Safety Office provides funding to Colorado law enforcement for impaired driving enforcement, education and awareness campaigns. The Heat Is On campaign runs throughout the year with 14 specific, high-visibility impaired-driving-enforcement periods centered on national holidays and large public events.

Enforcement periods can include sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and additional law enforcement on duty dedicated to impaired driving enforcement. More details about the campaign, including impaired driving enforcement plans, arrest totals and safety tips can be found at HeatIsOnColorado.com.