CDOT reports no fatal crashes over Labor Day weekend in Colorado
News Release
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STATEWIDE — Colorado recorded no fatal crashes over the Labor Day holiday weekend, according to preliminary data from the Colorado Department of Transportation. This marks the first time in recent history that no deaths occurred on state roads over Labor Day weekend. So far this year there have been 412 traffic fatalities on Colorado roads. This is a 6% decrease from this time last year.
Labor Day weekend is usually one of the more dangerous holidays on Colorado roads and regularly has the highest fatalities of any holiday during the year. There were 43 total fatalities during the same Labor Day reporting timeframe from 2016-2020.
Hoping to continue the positive trend, CDOT, Colorado State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies are joining forces for the Fall Festivals DUI enforcement period from Sept. 10-13. DUI patrols will be active statewide to remove impaired drivers and keep Colorado roadways a safe place during autumn activities.
“So far in 2021, we’ve seen 153 impaired-driving-related fatalities,” said Col. Matthew C. Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “That’s 153 lives stolen from their loved ones by a person who acted selfishly. These deaths were due to an entirely preventable decision to drive under the influence. High visibility enforcement is a means of prevention to help people make better, safer decisions, knowing that law enforcement is on the lookout.”
During last year’s Fall Festivals DUI enforcement period, 95 participating law enforcement agencies arrested 1,457 impaired drivers from Sept. 11 to Oct. 28. Local law enforcement agency plans and arrest results across the state can be found at https://www.codot.gov/safety/
“We’re here to remind everyone on Colorado roadways that there is never a season where it’s okay to drive impaired,” said CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. “Our goal is to have the safest roadways possible, and we can only achieve that when Coloradans make the safe choice and plan ahead with a sober ride every time.”
For yearly impaired-driving crash and fatality data in Colorado, 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. 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.
About CDOT
CDOT’s Whole System-Whole Safety program has one simple mission — to get everyone home safely. Our approximately 3,000 employees work tirelessly to reduce the rate and severity of crashes and improve the safety of all modes of transportation. The department manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway, more than 3,000 bridges and 35 mountain passes. CDOT also manages grant partnerships with a range of agencies, including metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and airports. It also operates Bustang, the state-owned interregional express bus service. Gov. Jared Polis has charged CDOT to further build on the state’s intermodal mobility options.
