Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel periods of the year, and, unfortunately, that means more impaired drivers on the roads.
Last year, in Colorado, four out of five Thanksgiving travel period road fatalities involved an alcohol-impaired driver. To keep roads safe during holiday travel this year, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and 91 law enforcement agencies will ramp up DUI enforcement through Monday, December 2.
The effort is part of CDOT’s ongoing The Heat Is On campaign to enforce Colorado DUI and DWAI laws and reduce the number of injuries and fatalities caused by impaired drivers in Colorado. Last year, law enforcement agencies arrested 593 impaired drivers during the 10-day Thanksgiving enforcement period.
“Impaired drivers put all roadway users at risk and jeopardize CDOT’s core mission to reduce the rate and severity of crashes on Colorado roads,” said Shoshana Lew, Executive Director of CDOT. “Law enforcement agencies will closely monitor roads across the state during these enforcement campaigns to ensure everyone gets home safely.”
CDOT urges Colorado residents and visiting drivers to plan ahead and arrange a sober ride home if they choose to drink.
