300 DUI Drivers Nabbed In Colo. During Memorial Day Weekend: CDOT

LAKEWOOD, CO – A Memorial Day weekend statewide DUI patrol nabbed fewer impaired drivers than last year, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced Tuesday.

During the Heat Is On Memorial Day enforcement, more than 100 law enforcement agencies went on the prowl, looking for impaired drivers with beefed-up patrols May 25-29.

Officers made 300 arrests for suspected impaired driving, a 10-percent decrease from the 332 arrests made over the same period in 2017, CDOT said.

“We see an alarming trend of increasing road fatalities heading into the summer months, with 31 percent of all 2017 Colorado road fatalities occurring in June, July and August,” said Darrell Lingk, director of the office of transportation safety at CDOT said in a statement. “Some people think getting behind the wheel after one or two drinks is acceptable, but that isn’t the case. Even a few alcoholic drinks can impair your ability to drive — it’s simply not worth the risk.”

A total of 30 DUI arrests were made in Jefferson County, or about 10 percent of the arrests in the total state, during the Memorial Day patrols. Lakewood police made nine arrests, and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office arrested five drivers. There were six DUI arrests made by Arvada police and five arrests in Golden made by the Golden Colorado State Patrol.

Visit bit.ly/CDOTHIO to view all arrest results throughout Colorado.

An average of 77 impaired drivers are arrested in Colorado every day, CDOT said. The Colorado blood-alcohol limit for a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) charge is 0.08 percent or higher, and for a Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI) charge, it is 0.05 percent or higher. First-time DUI offenders can be punished with up to one year in jail, license suspension and thousands of dollars in fines.

The campaign begins again Friday with a 10-day Summer Blitz enforcement period starting June 15.

More information is available at HeatIsOnColorado.com.

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