CDOT warns of increased DUI enforcement for Super Bowl weekend

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Department of Transportation is teaming up with nearly 100 law enforcement agencies over Super Bowl weekend in an effort to keep drunk drivers off the road.

With El Paso County now at Level Orange on the COVID-19 dial, restaurants can operate up to 25% capacity indoors. Officials with CDOT fear this may lead to an increased number of impaired drivers on the roads, which already hasn't been too low throughout the pandemic.

In 2020, there were 203 traffic fatalities that involved an impaired driver in Colorado.

El Paso County - 31 of 84 traffic fatalities involving an impaired driver.

Denver County - 16 of 48 fatalities involved an impaired driver; 

Boulder County - 4 of 16 fatalities involved an impaired driver; 

Larimer County - 13 of 31 fatalities involved an impaired driver; 

Pueblo County - 5 of 22 fatalities involved an impaired driver; 

Mesa County - 3 of 13 fatalities involved an impaired driver; 

Weld County - 21 of 49 fatalities involved an impaired driver; 

Arapahoe County - 20 of 50 fatalities involved an impaired driver; and 

Adams County - 20 of 53 fatalities involved an impaired driver.

Courtesy of the Colorado Department of Transportation

Officials with CDOT said El Paso County is affected by impaired drivers disproportionately to the rest of the state.

Even though El Paso County is similar in size to Denver County in terms of population, Denver has half the number of impaired driver-related deaths.

Southern Colorado law enforcement also arrests more people for impaired driving.

During the recent winter blitz DUI enforcement period, the Colorado Springs Police Department arrested 40 people for impaired driving; more than almost a hundred other local agencies.

El Paso County arrested the third most in the state, with 21 arrests.

Officials with CDOT want to remind drivers that it takes up to two hours for a single beer to be out of the system.

According to CDOT's website, you can still be charged with a DUI even if your blood alcohol content is below the legal limit.