State Patrol 'Heat Is On' Campaign Picks Up For The Holidays
DENVER (CBS4) - A sign for the holidays from the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Colorado State Patrol -- "designate a sober driver."
Troopers will be saturating highways all weekend, trying to get drunk drivers off the road. They also have a warning for aggressive holiday shoppers.
The signs are everywhere and hard to miss -- on the roads, online and even popping up on social media.
"We trust that people are going to be responsible during this holiday," Heather Cobler with the Colorado State Patrol said.
State Patrol along with CDOT and Mothers Against Drunk Driving have teamed up to remind drivers to be safe during the holiday weekend. For the Thanksgiving holiday the "Heat is On" campaign will run through Monday. That means drivers will see law enforcement cracking down on drunk drivers.
"We're going to see extra troopers, saturation patrols, check points, as well as just additional presence," Cobler said.
Last year between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day 48 people died in Colorado traffic crashes. Eighteen of those were alcohol related.
"The primary goal of the State Patrol this holiday season is to reduce the number of fatal crashes," Cobler said.
Besides designating a sober driver, State Patrol is reminding everyone that a little patience can go a long way while shopping as store parking lots fill up with eager shoppers and lots of extra drivers.
"We don't want to see people getting frustrated and driving aggressively, because that's going to increase the chances that you'll be involved in a crash."
