Don’t strike out — fourth summer DUI enforcement period underway

Sports fans statewide have had an exciting summer with the recent Colorado Avalanche championship. Now, as we head into a weekend of home Rockies games, CDOT, Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law enforcement are gearing up for the Summer Strike Out high visibility enforcement period from July 14-20. A DUI will do more than throw a curveball into your summer plans — it could land you in jail.

According to a recent CSP impaired enforcement report, there have been an estimated 1,901 DUI citations in Colorado from Jan. 1 – May 31 this year, with 1,213 of those involving alcohol only. El Paso County led with 231 DUI citations, followed by Adams (154), Weld (146) and Jefferson (143) counties.

“A DUI is not a minor traffic violation. You’re looking at months, potentially years, of your time to work through the process, costing thousands of dollars and leaving you with a criminal record,” said Col. Matthew Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “Every single decision you make when operating a vehicle matters. There are safe ride alternatives at our disposal; make a smart choice for getting home.”

The recent Fourth of July enforcement period saw 190 arrests across 75 participating agencies, an increase from last year. Agencies with the highest number of arrests were Colorado State Patrol (62) and Colorado Springs Police Department (20). During high visibility impaired driving enforcement periods, drivers may experience impaired driving checkpoints and see increased law enforcement on the roads.

There were nine traffic fatalities over the Fourth of July weekend in 2022. More than half of those deaths involved a suspected impaired driver. Compared to the first six months of 2019, deaths involving impaired drivers have increased 73.8% in Colorado this year.

CDOT recently launched an awareness campaign called It's Not Complicated to prevent impaired driving. For more information on the campaign, visit: codot.gov/safety/impaired-driving. For campaign visuals, visit: dropbox.com/sh/dpkfvjm9tc4knoz/AAArxCURtJZgOeUcomnP8IlEa?dl=0.

“Impaired drivers are a menace to others on our roadways, including pedestrians, bicyclists or drivers,” said CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. “Yes summer is a time for fun, but with that fun comes responsibility. That means never getting behind the wheel after drinking or consuming cannabis, regardless of how well you think you are to drive.”