Labor Day DUI enforcement cracking down on impaired drivers

With the unofficial end of summer upon us this weekend, the Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado State Patrol encourages everyone to plan a ride if your Labor Day celebrations include consuming alcohol or marijuana.

Through Tuesday, September 5, CDOT and CSP, along with law enforcement agencies across the state, will be cracking down on impaired drivers with heightened DUI enforcement—including sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and additional law enforcement on duty, dedicated to impaired-driving enforcement.

The Labor Day DUI crackdown period started August 18, and includes 105 law enforcement agencies statewide.

Labor Day weekend has proven to be a busy one for CSP and law enforcement in the past, with 974 impaired drivers cited during last year's enforcement; that's an average of 54 arrests per day. In 2016, the Labor Day-enforcement period logged the third most arrests of all 14 The Heat Is On DUI enforcement periods.

"A DUI offense is 100 percent avoidable," said Darrell Lingk, Director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT. "As you're gearing up for your holiday weekend celebrations, plan for safe, reliable, sober transportation. There's no reason to put yourself or others at risk by driving impaired."

To that end, CDOT is working with BACtrack, a leading breathalyzer company, to offer a 20 percent discount to all Coloradans on personal breathalyzers through the end of September. This is part of CDOT's new statewide campaign in partnership with BACtrack, called Before You Go, Know, aimed at reducing drunk driving by helping Coloradans understand their limits when it comes to drinking and driving. Visit HeatIsOnColorado.com or BACtrack.com, and use the code "CDOT" for the discount and free shipping.

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 14 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.