RBC | As summer winds down, law enforcement agencies across the state are prepared to crack down on impaired driving in the weeks before Labor Day and through the holiday weekend. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and local law agencies are teaming up as part of The Heat Is On campaign to conduct a nearly three-week DUI enforcement period from Aug. 16 through Sept. 3.
The annual Labor Day DUI enforcement period will include 85 law enforcement agencies. During last year’s Labor Day enforcement, 936 impaired drivers were arrested.
As part this year’s The Heat Is On campaign, CDOT has again partnered with BACtrack, a leading personal and professional breathalyzer company, to urge Coloradans to check their blood-alcohol content (BAC) and confirm they are sober before they drive. Through the partnership, BACtrack breathalyzers will be offered at a 50% discount exclusively for Colorado residents through September, or while supplies last. Residents can visit codot.bactrack.com to place an order.
“This initiative makes an important resource available to Coloradans to help people make safe and educated decisions,” said Shoshana Lew, executive director of CDOT. “Choosing when to get behind the wheel can be a life or death decision and education about impaired driving—along with enforcement—is a key part of keeping roads safe.”
CDOT’s Labor Day enforcement period and DUI-prevention campaign support CDOT’s Whole System—Whole Safety initiative to reduce traffic injuries and deaths. Last year, there were 209 passenger vehicle fatalities on Colorado roads involving impaired drivers, accounting for more than one-third of all traffic fatalities. Forty-four people were killed in crashes involving impaired drivers last August and September, accounting for more than 20% of the impaired driving fatality total last year.
The partnership between CDOT and BACtrack started in 2016. The shared goal is to raise awareness of personal breathalyzer use as a reliable DUI-prevention tool to decrease the number of impaired drivers on the roads.
“Nobody should feel out of place in any situation when using a personal breathalyzer to check their BAC level,” said Keith Nothacker, founder and CEO of BACtrack. “Our goal, in partnership with CDOT, is to normalize breathalyzer usage and provide Coloradans with resources to keep all drivers and passengers safe. We’re excited to continue our partnership with CDOT and continue to lead the way in normalizing breathalyzer usage in Colorado.”
Special to the Herald Times
