Lead by example: drive sober this Presidents Day weekend

Presidents Day weekend is a historically highly traveled holiday in Colorado. To urge Coloradans to prepare a sober ride if they consume alcohol away from home, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement agencies will team up for the Presidents Day DUI enforcement period, Feb. 12-22.

81 agencies will have additional DUI patrols on duty during the enforcement to keep impaired drivers off of the roads. The 2020 Presidents Week DUI enforcement period had 91 participating law enforcement agencies that arrested 578 impaired drivers. 

In 2020, 602 total fatalities happened on Colorado roads, with roughly 30% of those deaths involving an impaired driver. High impairment-related fatality totals were also the case in years prior, with 29% in 2019, 33% in 2018 and 35% in 2017. With nearly a third of all traffic fatalities occurring with an impaired driver each year, the fight to ensure Colorado drivers plan sober rides continues.  

CDOT’s 2-Hourglass display is currently on-site at Hazel’s Beverage World as a reminder to never drive impaired. The display’s message is that the only way to ensure someone is safe to drive is to have a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of zero. It will remain on-site at Hazel’s through the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day enforcement period, March 12-18. CDOT has also partnered with BACtrack®, a leading breathalyzer company, to offer Colorado residents a limited-time discount of 30% off a personal breathalyzer from March 8 to March 21, or while supplies last. Personal breathalyzers can be purchased at codot.bactrack.com.

Find local agency plans and total arrests for The Heat Is On enforcement periods at codot.gov/safety/traffic-safety-reporting-portal. Information about DUI laws in Colorado can be found at NoDUIColorado.org.