CDOT partners with MADD for Labor Day Crackdown enforcement period press conference

MADD, CDOT, the Colorado State Patrol, the Marijuana Industry Group and Sen. Chris Hansen came together Aug. 31 to highlight the importance of heightened DUI enforcement campaigns, ahead of The Heat Is On Labor Day DUI Crackdown enforcement period. MADD volunteer Clara Shelton, who lost her brother, Sam, to an impaired driver in 2016, spoke about the importance of never driving impaired.

Most impaired driving arrests in Colorado are made pre-crash, preventing deaths and injuries each year. Since 2019, high-visibility DUI enforcement periods have removed roughly 19,100 impaired drivers from Colorado roadways. The Labor Day DUI Crackdown is the longest heightened enforcement period of the year and ran from Aug. 18 through Sept. 6.

This year, CDOT’s Highway Safety Office faced a significant shortfall in funds to support its impaired driving enforcement program. Colorado law requires the HSO to plan 12 high-visibility impaired driving enforcement campaigns each year. Without such funding, impaired driving enforcement statewide would be extremely limited. To correct the shortfall, the state legislature appropriated $2 million in marijuana cash tax funds to replenish funding for the program. Senators Chris Hansen and Paul Lundeen were prime sponsors of the legislation, along with Speaker of the House Alec Garnett and Rep. Yadira Caraveo.

As of Aug. 30, there have been 146 traffic fatalities in Colorado involving a suspected impaired driver this year. That is roughly 37% of all traffic fatalities. Last year at this time, that number stood at 32%.

Photos and videos from the press conference are available at: https://bit.ly/3zyjMbw.