Increased DUI enforcement for Memorial Day weekend

COLORADO (KRDO) -- CDOT officials are reminding drivers "We can't all be heroes, but we can all choose to be sober behind the wheel" for Memorial Day Weekend.

Beginning Friday, May 27, and running through Thursday, June 5, there will be high-visibility Memorial Day Weekend DUI enforcement across the state. This is one of the first six increased enforcement periods during the summer.

According to CDOT, so far in 2022, 72 people have been killed in impaired driving crashes in the state. CDOT reports that's twice as many as the 36 deaths in the same timeframe in 2019.

CDOT says the Memorial Day DUI enforcement comes as fatalities on Colorado roads are the highest they've been in nearly two decades. In 2021, impaired drivers were suspected in 232 fatal crashes in Colorado.

This year, Pueblo County has the second-highest number of impaired driving fatalities, behind Arapahoe County.

Historically, CDOT says the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are the deadliest on Colorado roads. Within the last decade, data shows more than 57% of the Memorial Day weekend fatalities involved suspected impaired driving.

During 2021's enforcement, there were 223 DUI arrests across the state.

The most recent enforcement period surrounding St. Patrick's Day saw 172 arrests made across 81 participating agencies, bringing the year-to-date total of DUI arrests made during enforcement periods to 579.

Local law enforcement agency plans for the enforcement period efforts can be found here.

For more information on impaired driving data, click here.

Below are tips CDOT has for late spring driving conditions:

• Watch for potholes. Winter’s freeze/thaw cycle weather can damage roads, including creating potholes that can cause expensive damage to your vehicle. Spring rain also can make them difficult to see. Keep a safe following distance in case the driver in front of you reacts unpredictably. Avoid swerving if you can to avoid a pothole.
• Slow down for spring showers. Roads become slick when it first begins to rain because rainwater mixes with road contaminants, like oil and grease. Increase your following distance to allow for proper braking.
• Watch for pedestrians and bikes. Warmer temperatures mean more people are outside walking or bicycling. Slow down and pay extra attention at crosswalks and along roadways.
• Share the road with motorcycles. Motorcycles may quickly come in and out of your blind spots due to their speed and size. Always take a second look with more motorcycles out on the road. 
• Animals are on the move. Animal activity increases during the spring, either due to mating season or because they are waking up from winter hibernation. Deer are most active at dawn and dusk.
• Maintain proper tire air pressure. Tires lose air due to the cold winter temperatures and now can be underinflated. Warmer temperatures can cause tires to be overinflated. 
• Inspect your tires. Adequate tire tread is important for safe driving in wet weather because the tread moves water away from the tire. Less tread means reduced traction.