Law enforcement is on heightened alert for impaired drivers over Halloween Weekend from Thursday, October 29 to Monday, November 2 statewide to keep impaired drivers off of roadways.
The DUI enforcement comes in partnership with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and law enforcement agencies statewide. Travelers are encouraged by local authorities to drink responsibly keeping COVID-19 guidelines in mind when celebrating the holiday.
“If consuming alcohol is a part of your Halloween plan this coming weekend, expand your plan to include a designated sober driver or plan not to drive,” said Matthew Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “As holiday celebrations often lead to an increase of impaired drivers, our plan includes increasing our presence and enforcement activities on Colorado roadways,” Matthew said.
A total of 148 or 32 percent of the 461 recorded statewide passenger vehicle fatalities taking place this year from Wednesday, January 1 to Wednesday, October 7 were due to impairment. 86 agencies plan to participate in this year’s Halloween DUI enforcement in order to help keep this number from increasing.
The five-day Halloween weekend enforcement period last year involved 96 law enforcement agencies who made a total of 250 arrests.
“Every one of us has a personal responsibility to be safe and accountable,” said Darrell Lingk, CDOT director of the Office of Transportation. “That includes abiding by COVID-19 guidelines and never driving impaired,” Darrell said.
The majority of DUI citations issued by Colorado law enforcement takes place on the weekend between 10 pm on Fridays and 2 am on Saturdays and again from 10 pm on Saturdays to 2 am on Sundays. All motorists are required to keep in mind that they can be arrested for impaired driving if their blood-alcohol content (BAC) is at any level above zero even if it is below the legal limit of .08 percent for DUI or .05 percent for DWAI.
Personal breathalyzers can aid in keeping drivers safe by informing them of their BAC and how long they need to wait before they are sober. Colorado residents can purchase a personal breathalyzer through BACtrack for 20 percent off before Monday, November 30.
“Impaired driving is one of the biggest threats to the safety of our transportation network, and CDOT is working with law enforcement partners across the state to remove this threat from Colorado roads this Halloween weekend,” said Darrell.
For more information regarding CDOT’s dedication to keeping Colorado roads safe, including impaired driving enforcement plans, arrest totals and safety tips, visit: codot.gov/safety or to purchase a personal breathalyzer, visit: codot.bactrack.com
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