AURORA | A year after seeing a spike in drunk driving over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, Colorado police officers are planning to crackdown on holiday revelers.
Last year, 505 people were arrested on DUI charges in Colorado, a 14-percent spike over 2014. March 2015 also saw 20 traffic fatalities.
“The increase in DUI arrests during the St. Patrick’s Day enforcement last year was troubling,” Col. Scott Hernandez, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol, said in a statement. “We strongly encourage people to plan ahead and make critical decisions before drinking. By taking alternative transportation to your destination, you can eliminate the risk of driving after drinking.”
CDOT kicked off its holiday enforcement period last week with demonstrations of smartphone breathalyzers that drinkers can use to determine if they are over the legal limit.
The goal, CDOT said, was to show people how alcohol can affect different people in dramatically different ways.
“Factors such as body weight, gender, hydration, the number of drinks and rate of consumption will all contribute to a person’s BAC,” said Darrell Lingk, director of the CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety. “We hope that through direct interactions with drinkers and personalized tools such as smartphone breathalyzers, drinkers will make educated decisions and think twice before driving impaired.”
The St. Patrick’s Day enforcement period started March 11 and runs through this weekend. Statewide, 87 law enforcement agencies will participate in the DUI crackdown.
During the most-recent DUI crackdown, which occurred during Super Bowl weekend, police in Aurora made 44 DUI arrests.