Colorado State Patrol will increase its drunken driving enforcement for the next 20 days starting Thursday, including during Super Bowl weekend, in an attempt to limit fatal accidents.
State police saturation patrols, in partnership with local law enforcement and the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office, will stop visibly impaired drivers through Feb. 14, according to a CDOT release. Heightened enforcement will then continue during Presidents Day week from Feb. 15-28.
“If you’re attending a watch party or gathering for the big game, be a good sport and plan ahead for a sober ride home,” CSP Chief Col. Matthew C. Packard stated in the release. “Don’t risk getting a DUI or killing someone in a crash — the consequences of driving under the influence will cost you much more than a taxi or rideshare trip.”
The heightened enforcement period is part of a department campaign identifying 16 annual impaired driving enforcement periods centered on national holidays and large public events, according to the release. These enforcement periods can include sobriety checkpoints and additional on-duty police.
Police arrested 231 drivers for driving under the influence during last year’s Super Bowl enforcement period, the CDOT release noted. Some of the driving behaviors state troopers look for are lane violations, tailgating, speeding and aggressive and careless driving behaviors, reads a separate release from Colorado State Patrol.
One out of every three traffic deaths in Colorado involved an impaired driver in 2023, according to the state patrol release.
“No matter which team you’re rooting for on game day, sober driving will always be the winning choice,” CDOT’s Safety Director Darrell Lingk stated in the CDOT. “Our message is simple: if you’re impaired, don’t get behind the wheel. Your fellow football fans are counting on you to make the right call this weekend.”
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