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CDOT Takes Drunk Driving Message To Irish Bar Ahead Of St. Patrick's Day

DENVER (CBS4) - Law enforcement is beginning the holiday crackdown for St. Patrick's Day, and will have extra patrols on the roads to identify drunk drivers.

Last year, there were 500 arrests for DUIs around St. Patrick's Day, which was up from the previous year.

Officials are now taking their message to the bar crowd, hoping to bring that number back down by getting to the drinkers before they get behind the wheel.

The Colorado Department of Transportation was at the Irish Snug on Colfax Saturday afternoon after Denver's St. Patrick's Day parade, allowing drinkers to test themselves.

Technology has allowed breathalyzers to work with smartphones. And many people were surprised to find that just a beer or two could lead them to the level of being arrested.

"We're trying to raise awareness to the dangers of drinking and driving foremost, but we know a lot of people don't understand what drinking even one or two beers can do to their ability to drive," said Sam Cole, CDOT spokesperson.

CDOT breathalyzer
(credit: CBS)

CDOT had a little social experiment going on at the bar.

They had four people drink a beer, then wait 15 minutes before taking a breathalyzer and field sobriety tests. Three of the four people were at a level to be arrested after only two beers, over the span of more than an hour.

Those taking part in the experiment were very surprised by their own results.

The message could be life-saving. Twenty Coloradans were killed last February as a result of DUI crashes. CDOT says the priority is getting drinkers to have a plan for the end of the night before they even begin.

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