CDOT Reminds Motorists that The Heat Is On During Memorial Day Weekend
With summer just around the corner, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and statewide law enforcement agencies will kick off the next Heat Is On high-visibility enforcement period this Memorial Day Weekend. Starting Friday, May 24 and continuing through Tuesday, May 28, over 100 law enforcement agencies will participate in the enforcement period with increased and saturation patrols across the state. As always, those enjoying the festivities are encouraged to plan ahead for a sober ride if they intend to consume alcohol or other impairing substances.
DUI enforcement is a key component of CDOT’s Whole System | Whole Safety approach to reducing deaths and injuries on Colorado’s roads. Last May, there were 19 impairment-related fatalities on Colorado’s roads.
“Although we design our roads to enhance safety, we rely on our law enforcement officers to help keep impaired drivers off the road before they crash,” said Shoshana Lew, Executive Director of CDOT. “That’s why these DUI enforcement periods are so critical to supporting our system-wide efforts to reduce death and injury across our transportation network.”
Over last year’s Memorial Day weekend enforcement period, 104 law enforcement agencies cited 301 motorists for DUI. Law enforcement will be on patrol for impaired drivers and hope to see more motorists choosing alternative modes of transportation to get home safely.
CDOT is also reminding drivers to anticipate heavy traffic in many areas of the state over the Memorial Day weekend. All CDOT construction and maintenance projects will be suspended by noon Friday and not resume their regular schedule until Tuesday, May 28. The only exception is for emergency operations.
“Operating motor vehicles while under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or other drugs drastically impair a person’s ability to drive,” said Col. Matthew Packard, Chief of the CSP. “Look out for your friends and family this holiday weekend and help make sure everyone gets home safely – they will thank you later.”
The Heat Is On will be back with its Summer Blitz DUI enforcement from June 4-14. During last year’s summer enforcement, 584 citations were given to impaired drivers with the highest arrests seen from the Colorado Springs Police Department (58), Denver Police Department (51) and Aurora Police Department (25). The summer months traditionally show an increase in DUI crashes and arrests. Law enforcement is always on the lookout for impaired drivers and working to keep Colorado roads safe.
About The Heat Is On
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 15 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. Find more details about the campaign, including impaired driving enforcement plans, arrest totals and safety tips at HeatIsOnColorado.com.
To heighten safety awareness, CDOT recently announced its Whole System, Whole Safety initiative. This project takes a systematic statewide approach to safety combining the benefits of CDOT’s programs that address driving behavior, the built environment and the organization’s operations. The goal is to improve the safety of Colorado’s transportation network by reducing the rate and severity of crashes and improving safety conditions for those traveling by all transportation modes. The program has one simple mission - to get everyone home safely.
Whole System. Whole Safety.
To heighten safety awareness, CDOT recently announced its “Whole System | Whole Safety” initiative. This project takes a systematic statewide approach to safety combining the benefits of CDOT’s programs that address driving behaviors, our built environment and the organization's operations. The goal is to improve the safety of Colorado’s transportation network by reducing the rate and severity of crashes and improving safety conditions for those traveling by all transportation modes. The program has one simple mission - to get everyone home safely.
About CDOT
CDOT has approximately 3,000 employees located throughout Colorado and manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway and 3,429 bridges. CDOT also manages grant partnerships with a range of other agencies, including metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and airports. It also administers Bustang, the state-owned and operated interregional express service. Gov. Jared Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s intermodal mobility options.
