Summer will soon come to a close, but driving impaired is never in season.

The Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies are coming together for a late summer DUI campaign from Aug. 18 to Sept. 6. Additional patrols will be stationed statewide to remove impaired drivers from the roads ahead of and during the Labor Day holiday weekend. 

“We are aware that late summer is a chance for people to enjoy summer activities before fall arrives later in September,” said Col. Matthew Packard, Chief of the CSP. “Unfortunately, we see a spike in impaired driving fatal crashes during the summer. These occasions can easily end with a fatal crash due to the careless and entirely preventable decision to drive impaired. Please hold your loved ones accountable to help keep our roads a safe place to travel.”

This year, there have been 133 traffic fatalities that have involved a suspected impaired driver. That is 36% of all traffic fatalities so far this year.  Counties with the highest number of impaired fatalities are: Denver (14), Adams (12), Arapahoe (11), Jefferson (11), El Paso (10), and Pueblo (10). Last year 212 traffic fatalities involved a suspected impaired driver on Colorado roads in 2020. There were 622 traffic fatalities overall.   Data from previous years in included in the chart below.

During the same enforcement period last year, 104 participating law enforcement agencies arrested 694 impaired drivers. Local law enforcement agency plans and arrest results across the state can be found at https://www.codot.gov/safety/traffic-safety-reporting-portal. 

“Choosing when to get behind the wheel can be a life or death decision,” said CDOT’s Office of Transportation Safety Director Darrell Lingk. “When alcohol or marijuana is present, there is always a choice to make, and the decision affects more people than just the driver. Please be mindful of the decision at hand to never drive impaired — lives depend on it.” 

For yearly impaired-driving crash and fatality data in Colorado, visit https://www.codot.gov/safety/traffic-safety/crash-data-management/fatal-crash-data. Information about DUI laws in Colorado can be found at NoDUIColorado.org. 

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Dan R

Danny “Dan R” Ridenour has been in radio and television broadcasting for over 40 years, starting as a senior in high school in Rogers, Arkansas. His radio career has had stops in Nashville, Memphis, Oklahoma, and eventually, Colorado. Dan enjoys being involved in the community, having been a member of the Upper Arkansas Service Club and is currently on the board of directors for the Salida Community Center and is a member of the Chaffee County Fair Committee. He and his wife Carrie spend their days doing everything the mountains have to offer: hiking, camping, fishing and skiing. They've raised 3 children and have 2 grandchildren.

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