'Heat Is On' Puts More Officers On The Streets
DENVER (CBS4)- With Halloween celebrations taking place in the next few days, the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol and law enforcement agencies throughout the state are increasing DUI enforcement.
Starting Friday through next Thursday, they will be on the lookout for drivers impaired by alcohol, cannabis or other drugs. CDOT's The Heat Is On campaign aims to eliminate impaired driving related injuries and fatalities over Halloween weekend. Sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and additional law enforcement will be dedicated to DUI enforcement across the state.
"Last year we had almost 300 just in one weekend alone, when it comes to DUIs," said Sam Cole with the Colorado Department of Transportation. "We're able to get a lot of drunk drivers off our roadways and help keep them safe."
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 45 percent of all traffic fatalities on Halloween, between 2011 and 2015, involved a drunk driving related crash, while 23 percent of all pedestrian fatalities on Halloween involved a drunk driver.
Last year's Halloween DUI enforcement resulted in 296 DUI arrests. The most arrests came from the Colorado State Patrol, Denver Police Department and Aurora Police Department.
"Forty-five percent of our fatalities around Halloween tend to involve a drunk driver. We need to bring that number down," said Cole.
CSP encourages drivers to drive sober. They advise alternative options, including ride share programs like Uber or Lyft, cabs, and public transit.
To access CDOT's The Heat Is On arrest database for all enforcement periods visit bit.ly/HIOarrests.
