CDOT Reports 1,398 DUI Arrests During Fall Enforcement
(CBS4) - The Colorado Department of Transportation is reporting a decrease in the number of arrests during the 2020 fall DUI enforcement period, compared to 2019. CDOT teamed up with Colorado State Patrol and law enforcement agencies statewide for the Fall Fest heightened DUI period, which ran from Sept. 11-Oct. 28.
During that time period, law enforcement officers arrested 1,398 people on suspicion of driving under the influence. This is a decrease from the 1,534 arrests made during the same period last year.
"While the numbers of arrests have reduced, impaired crashes remain in the top three causal factors for fatal and injury crashes in Colorado for 2020," said Matthew Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. "We should never forget that every single injury and death caused by impaired driving are preventable. It's all too easy to forget that statistics refer to real people. We will continue to look for impaired drivers who choose to put lives in danger on Colorado roads."
A total of 95 agencies participated in the 48-day DUI enforcement period. CDOT reports the Colorado Springs Police Department carried out 191 arrests, the most of any agency. Colorado State Patrol made 150 arrests and the Denver Police Department arrested 141 people on suspicion of DUI.
CDOT posted the number of arrests for all law enforcement agencies on their website.
"Safety on Colorado's roadways isn't just CDOT's goal — it should be a focus for every single person on the road," said Darrell Lingk, CDOT director of the Office of Transportation. "We all want to make it home safely to our loved ones, so we encourage everyone not to jeopardize that by driving impaired."
Officials at CDOT say personal breathalyzers can keep drivers safe by informing them of their blood alcohol concentration. Colorado residents can purchase a personal breathalyzer through BACtrack for 20% off by going to codot.bactrack.com. The offer expires on Nov. 30.
Throughout the year, CDOT conducts 16 high-visibility impaired driving enforcement periods centered on national holidays and large public events as part of the Heat Is On Campaign. Enforcement periods can include sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and additional law enforcement on duty.