DUI Checkpoints & Crime on the Road, Sobriety Checkpoints

A DUI Could Cost You a Pot O’ Gold this St. Patrick’s Day

CDOT and statewide law enforcement agencies are warning Coloradans not to press their luck by drinking and driving this St. Patrick’s Day or the days leading up to it. Traffic Safety

DENVER, CO – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and statewide law enforcement agencies are warning Coloradans not to press their luck by drinking and driving this St. Patrick’s Day or the days leading up to it.  The Colorado State Patrol and 72 law enforcement agencies are conducting a Heat Is On crackdown beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 12 and continuing through 3 a.m. on Thursday, March 18.

Last year, three people were killed in alcohol-related crashes during the St. Patrick’s Day enforcement period in Colorado, and law enforcement agencies made 668 DUI arrests statewide.

“St. Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays when we know a lot of people are drinking,” said Col. James Wolfinbarger, chief of the Colorado State Patrol.  “We want people to have a good time, but we’re also encouraging people to designate a sober driver before the first pint is poured.  Make the right decision before you head to the bar by thinking about how you will get safely home. The last thing you want is to end up in jail and spend thousands of dollars on a bad decision.”

The average cost of a DUI is $10, 270, including fines, defense fees, and a big insurance premium increase.

“It’s no secret that it is a tradition for many to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with alcohol, but we don’t want that celebration to spill over behind the wheel,” said Pam Hutton, governor’s representative for Highway Safety at CDOT.  “Many people don’t realize the costs involved if you drink and drive.  First and foremost is the possible cost of a human life, but there are also major monetary expenses.  It’s not worth it.”

CDOT will be reminding St. Patrick’s Day celebrators that a DUI amounts to spending a “pot o’ gold” with a float in the Denver and Colorado Springs St. Patrick’s Day parades on Saturday.  There will also be teams of people visiting Irish pubs and bars to remind drinkers to designate a sober driver or take public transportation.

Colorado State Patrol Troop 4B-Fruita plans to conduct a sobriety checkpoint on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th.  The entire Colorado State Patrol and the following 72 police and sheriffs’ departments have planned increased patrols and saturations patrols throughout the enforcement period.

Adams County SO

Alamosa County SO

Arapahoe County SO

Arvada PD

Auraria Campus PD

Aurora PD

Basalt PD

Boulder County SO

Boulder PD

Brighton PD

Broomfield PD

Castle Rock PD

Cherry Hills Village PD

Colorado Springs PD

Commerce City PD

Cortez PD

Crested Butte MO

Denver PD

Dillon PD

Douglas County SO

Durango PD

Eagle County SO (Gore Range DUI Task Force)

Edgewater PD

El Paso County SO

Erie PD

Estes Park PD

Evans PD

Firestone PD

Fort Collins PD

Fort Lupton PD

Fort Morgan PD

Fountain PD

Fraser/Winter Park PD

Frederick PD

Fremont County SO

Gilcrest PD

Gilpin County SO

Glenwood Springs PD

Grand Junction PD

Greeley PD

Greenwood Village PD

Idaho Springs PD

Jefferson County SO

Kiowa County SO

Lafayette PD

Lakewood PD

Larimer County SO

Littleton PD

Logan County SO

Longmont PD

Loveland PD

Mancos MO

Manitou Springs PD

Mesa County SO

Minturn PD

Montezuma County SO

Monument PD

Northglenn PD

Pagosa Springs PD

Pueblo County SO

Pueblo PD

Rio Blanco County SO

Saguache County SO

Steamboat Springs PD

Sterling PD

Summit County SO

Walsenburg PD

Washington County SO

Weld County SO (Task Force)

Westminster PD

Wheat Ridge PD

Woodland Park PD

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