Law enforcement agencies across the state will be stepping up enforcement of impaired driving for a five-week “The Heat Is On” campaign that starts Friday, the same day of the Colorado Rockies home opener.
Last year, law enforcement agencies arrested 1,555 impaired drivers during the campaign, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. This year, 108 law enforcement agencies are on board.
“With warmer weather, we know more Coloradans will hit the roads to enjoy the outdoors,” CDOT’s transportation safety director Darrell Lingk said Friday in a statement. “We ask those who drink alcohol or consume cannabis do so only if they plan a sober ride. Impaired driving is not a risk worth taking.”
The campaign runs through May 15, corresponding with annual spring celebrations that include graduations, spring breaks, outdoor festivals, the start of baseball season and 4/20 events, CDOT says.
There were 84 traffic deaths last April and May, 40 percent of which involved impaired drivers, CDOT says.
