Campaign aims to keep drunk drivers off Colorado roads

Because drunk drivers place all road users in grave danger, it is completely appropriate that our state’s laws mete out very serious penalties for those who are convicted of DUI. It is no secret that every year drunk drivers are responsible for far too many accidents on the roadways of Colorado. Yet, in spite of all of the public awareness programs produced by such entities as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Colorado Department of Transportation, people are still getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.

But one statewide program has thus far produced some very good results. The Heat Is On campaign is an initiative being conducted by CDOT, the Colorado State Patrol as well as other law enforcement agencies across the state. The so-called Holiday Parties enforcement phase of the campaign ran from the 2nd through the 12th of December. Within that time frame, 552 impaired drivers were arrested and thus taken off of our roads.

The next phase of the campaign begins on Dec. 30 and runs through Jan. 3, thus covering New Year’s Eve, a time where we can expect a sharp uptick in the number of impaired drivers on the road.

Such efforts on behalf of our traffic law enforcement authorities should be applauded. But the fact is that there is no way to prevent every potential drunk driving related tragedy. Reportedly, there have been 181 fatalities attributed to impaired-related crashes in Colorado this year.

Hopefully, the remainder of your holiday season will be joyous and accident-free. However, if you should be involved in an accident with a drunk driver, you may want to consider contacting an experienced personal injury attorney. An attorney can work for you in an effort to help you receive proper compensation to cover medical expenses and other damages related to the accident.

Source: Brush New Tribune, “Holiday parties DUI enforcement arrests 552 impaired drivers,” Dec. 16, 2016