Fourth of July DUI enforcement period begins tomorrow

STATEWIDE — While many Coloradans celebrate Fourth of July weekend, statewide law enforcement officers will keep their eyes out for impaired drivers. From July 2-6, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement agencies will conduct the Fourth of July DUI enforcement period to prevent impaired drivers from endangering themselves and others on the road. CDOT is also introducing a new campaign, Take Some Time, to encourage the use of smartphone breathalyzers as a way to prevent impaired driving.

So far in 2020, of the 215 fatalities on Colorado roads, 66 fatalities, or 31 percent, have involved an impaired driver. During the Fourth of July five-day DUI enforcement period, 73 law enforcement agencies will increase patrols. During last year’s Fourth of July enforcement period, 311 DUI arrests were made.

"The Fourth of July is a moment when, together, we celebrate our country. While everyone is eager to get out and celebrate over the holiday weekend -- especially this year -- we have a duty to keep ourselves and each other safe at the same time," said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. "We tend to see more impaired driving around summer holidays like the one coming up, and this year it is imperative that we all do our part to end that dangerous trend. The simple things we do to stay safe--wearing masks, social distancing, or getting a sober ride--are the fine margin between a fun holiday and a preventable disaster."

During the recent Summer Blitz enforcement period, 89 law enforcement agencies arrested 397 impaired drivers on Colorado roads from June 14-24. Compared to the 585 motorists cited for impaired driving during the same period in 2019, this was a decrease in total arrests. Among the participating law enforcement agencies, Colorado Springs, Denver and Loveland police departments reported the highest DUI arrests.

“Summer holidays are a reason to celebrate safely and responsibly,” said Col. Matthew Packard, chief of CSP. “Planning a sober ride home beforehand ensures that you won’t endanger yourself or others on the road. Law enforcement will always be on the road, so remember to drive sober or not at all.”

Starting this weekend, Coloradans can expect to see CDOT’s latest DUI prevention campaign across the state on billboards, buildings, in liquor stores, and on social media reminding people to wait the appropriate amount of time between consuming alcohol and driving.

CDOT’s new Take Some Time campaign aims to educate and raise awareness of the time it takes for a person’s BAC to return to zero after consuming alcohol.  View and download the campaign creative here: dropbox.com/sh/d7xzbb8kd6j9sei/AACCAzHtXzPzJeSl6DMLHXzva?dl=0

The Fourth of July also marks the start of another partnership between CDOT and BACtrack®, a leading personal breathalyzer company. CDOT is teaming up with BACtrack to offer Colorado residents the chance to buy a personal breathalyzer for 50 percent off in an effort to make breathalyzers more accessible, educate Coloradans about blood alcohol content (BAC) levels, and ultimately reduce impaired driving. For more information about previous CDOT and BACtrack breathalyzer campaigns, visit heatisoncolorado.com.

This discount will be available through Sept. 15, or while supplies last. Colorado residents can visit codot.bactrack.com to purchase either the BACtrack Mobile Pro, Trace Pro, C8, or C6.

“We’re excited to continue this partnership with CDOT to make breathalyzers more accessible to Coloradans,” said Keith Nothacker, founder and CEO of BACtrack. “This exclusive discount is made possible because of CDOT and BACtrack’s shared values: safety, building awareness about alcohol consumption and impaired driving, and providing resources to make responsible decisions.”

BACtrack’s ZeroLine® technology estimates how long it will be before a person’s BAC returns to zero after drinking. ZeroLine is featured in the C8 model, and also in the BACtrack app, which is compatible with the Mobile Pro and C6.

For more information on CDOT’s efforts to keep Colorado roads safe this summer, including impaired driving enforcement plans, arrest totals and safety tips, visit https://www.codot.gov/safety. 

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 16 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.

COVID-19

Safe transportation infrastructure is essential for emergency first responders and freight drivers as Colorado navigates the COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind, road maintenance and construction continues on CDOT projects with social distancing and other health safety measures to reduce COVID-19 exposure on the worksite. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced guidelines for construction activities. The public is urged to join the campaign for #DoingMyPartCO by practicing social distancing, wearing face masks, staying at home when possible, and avoiding nonessential travel. With fewer vehicles on the roads, CDOT crews will be able to work more efficiently and safely.

WHOLE SYSTEM. WHOLE SAFETY.  

In early 2019, CDOT announced its Whole System — Whole Safety initiative to heighten safety awareness. This initiative 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 the safety of all transportation modes. The program has one simple mission—to get everyone home safely.

ABOUT CDOT

CDOT has approximately 3,000 employees located at its Denver headquarters and in regional offices 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. Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s intermodal mobility options.