Law enforcement agencies across Colorado have teamed up to crack down on impaired driving in the weeks before Labor Day and through the holiday weekend.
As part of “The Heat Is On” campaign, The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law agencies are conducting a driving under the influence (DUI) enforcement until the beginning of September.
During last year’s Labor Day enforcement, 936 impaired drivers were arrested.
The annual Heat Is On campaign has again partnered with BACtrack, a personal and professional breathalyzer company, to urge Coloradans to check their blood-alcohol content (BAC) and confirm they are sober before they drive.
Through the partnership, BACtrack breathalyzers will be offered at a 50 percent discount exclusively for Colorado residents through September, or while supplies last. Residents can visit codot.bactrack.com to place an order.
“This initiative makes an important resource available to Coloradans to help people make safe and educated decisions,” said Shoshana Lew, Executive Director of CDOT.
“Choosing when to get behind the wheel can be a life or death decision and education about impaired driving — along with enforcement — is a key part of keeping roads safe.”
CDOT’s Labor Day enforcement period and DUI-prevention campaign support CDOT’s Whole System — Whole Safety initiative to reduce traffic injuries and deaths. Last year, there were 209 passenger vehicle fatalities on Colorado roads involving impaired drivers, accounting for more than one-third of all traffic fatalities. Forty-four people were killed in crashes involving impaired drivers last August and September, accounting for more than 20 percent of the impaired driving fatality total last year.
