CDOT and partners join for DUI enforcement ahead of Super Bowl Weekend
News Release
Statewide — Super Bowl LV will have fewer fans in attendance than past years, but plenty of Coloradans will still watch the big game on television. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement agencies encourage everyone to be safe during the Super Bowl DUI enforcement period from Feb. 5 to 8 and not drive impaired.
If people watch the game somewhere other than their home and consume alcohol, they should plan for sober rides. However, CDOT urges people to remain mindful of current COVID-19 guidelines and to watch the game at home.
Almost 100 agencies will increase patrols during the Super Bowl enforcement to remove impaired drivers from the roads and prevent crashes. Last year’s Super Bowl DUI enforcement period resulted in the arrest of 229 impaired drivers across the state.
“Make a 'game plan' for the Super Bowl Sunday, because everyone loses when impaired drivers are on our roads,” said Chief Matthew C. Packard, Colorado State Patrol. “Law enforcement is increasing their enforcement and you have a lot to lose. A DUI will cost you thousands of dollars, a license revocation, higher insurance premiums, and potential jail time. However, the worst consequence is living with the guilt of your actions causing harm to someone else.”
Last year, there were 203 traffic fatalities that involved an impaired driver in Colorado. El Paso County had the most with 31 of 84 traffic fatalities involving an impaired driver in 2020. Data from other counties includes:
- Denver County - 16 of 48 fatalities involved an impaired driver;
- Boulder County - 4 of 16 fatalities involved an impaired driver;
- Larimer County - 13 of 31 fatalities involved an impaired driver;
- Pueblo County - 5 of 22 fatalities involved an impaired driver;
- Mesa County - 3 of 13 fatalities involved an impaired driver;
- Weld County - 21 of 49 fatalities involved an impaired driver;
- Arapahoe County - 20 of 50 fatalities involved an impaired driver; and
- Adams County - 20 of 53 fatalities involved an impaired driver.
“One life lost due to impaired driving is too many. That’s why impaired driving is a significant focus in our effort to reach zero deaths on Colorado’s roadways,” said Darrell Lingk, CDOT Highway Safety Office Director. “We need everyone to do their part by making safe choices when it comes to drinking and driving — for everyone’s well-being.”
During the recent Winter Blitz DUI enforcement, 94 agencies arrested 379 impaired drivers, with the Colorado Springs Police Department (40 arrests), Denver Police Department (31 arrests), and El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (21 arrests) reporting the highest number of arrests. This is a decrease from the 588 [CL4] arrests made during the same period last year.
Find local agency plans and total arrests for The Heat Is On enforcement periods at codot.gov/safety/traffic-
To coincide with the Super Bowl enforcement period, CDOT’s 2-Hourglass display was installed at Hazel’s Beverage World in Boulder Feb. 3 and will stay on-site through St. Patrick’s Day. The display serves as a reminder that a single alcoholic drink can impair a person for up to two hours, and the only appropriate time to drive is with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of zero. The simulation shows a large-scale beer and wine glass being slowly “consumed,” and as the liquid disappears, the amount of time until sober increases. The 2-Hourglass display was on-site at Stanley Marketplace this past fall.
CDOT has once again partnered with BACtrack®, a leading breathalyzer company, to offer Colorado residents a limited-time discount of 30 percent off a personal breathalyzer from Jan. 25-Feb. 7 and Mar. 8-21, or while supplies last. These discount periods align with the upcoming Super Bowl and St. Patrick's Day enforcement periods. Coloradans can purchase their own breathalyzer at codot.bactrack.com. CDOT continues to urge people to remain mindful of current COVID-19 guidelines and to put safety first.
About The Heat Is On
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. The CDOT Highway Safety Office provides funding to Colorado law enforcement for impaired driving enforcement, education and awareness campaigns. Find more details about the campaign, including impaired driving enforcement plans, arrest totals and safety tips at HeatIsOnColorado.com. More information about DUI laws in Colorado can be found at NoDUIColorado.org. Learn more about CDOT’s dedication to keeping Colorado roads safe, including impaired driving enforcement objectives, arrest data and safety information at codot.gov/safety.
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.
