Colorado Drunk Driving Articles

Confusion Over Colorado DUI Crackdown

Road signs warned of drunk driving patrols when there were none.

Colorado State law enforcement agencies declared a crackdown of drunk driving over the Halloween weekend. Highway message boards flashed warnings of the anti-DUI campaign. It seems that some law enforcement agencies however, most notably the Colorado Springs Police Department and the Colorado State Patrol, could not provide information on the operation or the sign board messages.

Some agencies, like the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department, engaged in extra patrols for motorists suspected of drunk driving in Colorado on Friday, but did not continue the effort through the weekend. The announced crackdown was supposed to end at 3:00 am Monday morning and include the Colorado Springs area police departments of Colorado Springs, Canon City, Fort Carson, Woodland Park and Fountain and the sheriff’s departments from Pueblo, El Paso and Fremont counties. The sign boards were deactivated Sunday afternoon.

A spokesperson with the Colorado Department of Transportation said it is possible for just special Colorado DUI patrol units to know of a crackdown and not the entire police department. He called the signs a deterrent, saying that signs will be on when there are extra patrols somewhere. Even if not a planned, coordinated effort, there could be regular police patrols in the area.

If you have been arrested for drunk driving in El Paso County you need to contact a DUI lawyer in Colorado Springs for help on your DUI charge.

Maps to Help Police Fight Colorado DUI's

Technology plots locations of accidents involving drunk driving in CO.

Over the last year the Colorado State Patrol has been implementing a new data plotting technology that helps them identify hot-spots of DUI related accidents. The information is used to help them to better target their drunk driving patrols.

The CSP troop in Fort Collins is the first to use the technology which utilizes color coded pins to indicate the locations and types of accidents over a set period of time. In addition to patrolling major highways, the focus has included roads near liquor stores and recreation areas. While the troop has changed its patrol schedules and targets, a spokesperson said that it is the first year of the system's use so its effectiveness is not yet known.

The mapping technology is being shared with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, which says the collaboration has helped them better enforce the law and arrest motorists suspected of drunk driving in Colorado.

If you have been arrested for you will need to hire a Colorado DUI lawyer to represent you on your drunk driving charge.

Colorado DUI Taskforce Starts Art Contest

Western Colorado law enforcement group is looking for logo with anti-drunk driving theme.

The Gore Range DUI Taskforce in western Colorado has started an art competition to create a logo that can be used on the vehicles used by the special squad. According to the Avon Police Chief, the goal is to strike fear in motorists who are driving under the influence in Colorado. The design must also relate to the Vail Valley.

The competition is open to any Eagle County student, and they must submit their design and anti-DUI slogan to the Avon Police Department before November 1. The winners will get to chose between a pair of skis and a snowboard as prizes.

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Crackdown Nets 1,414 Arrests for Colorado DUI

18-day effort that ended Labor Day weekend was part of national drunk driving campaign.

Law enforcement agencies across the state made a total of 1,414 arrests for driving under the influence in Colorado during an 18-day crackdown. Dubbed ‘The Heat is On’, the anti-drunk driving campaign was part of the national effort titled ‘Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.’

Between August 15th and September 2nd, 48 local police and county sheriff’s departments, along with the Colorado State Patrol, conducted increased patrols focusing on motorists suspected of drunk driving. Nine people were reportedly killed in alcohol related accidents, which is down from 16 during the same period last year. The Colorado State Patrol made 294 arrests for CO DUI. Denver recorded 186 arrests and Colorado Springs 163.

More than 30,000 motorists are arrested for Colorado DUI each year. A conviction for a first offense drunk driving in Colorado can lead to loss of driver’s license, increased auto insurance premiums and costs in excess of $10,000. A spokesperson with the Colorado Department of Transportation said drunk driving is not worth risking life, freedom and money, and advocated use of designated drivers or public transportation.

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Police Planning Colorado DUI Saturation Patrols

Law enforcement across state to participate in 18-day crackdown on drunk driving in Colorado.

Law enforcement agencies, including state patrol and local police departments, will be conducting saturation patrols looking for motorists driving under the influence in Colorado.

The Colorado Department of Transportation has announced that the agencies are participating in the national ‘Drunk Driving: Over the Limit, Under Arrest’ campaign. That campaign was developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and it calls for both increased enforcement of DUI laws and a public awareness program.

The increased patrols are scheduled for an 18-day period between August 15 and September 2. That window includes the 2008 Labor Day weekend. Last year a similar crackdown on drunk driving offenses in Colorado netted 1,739 statewide DUI arrests.

If you have been charged with Driving Under the Influence in Colorado, you need to hire a CO DUI Lawyer.

Colorado Amends Drunk Boating Laws

New rules bring drunk boating in line with Colorado DUI.

Colorado has toughened its Boating Under the Influence laws, making them consistent with the offense of Driving Under the Influence. The legal threshold for intoxication was lowered from .10% to .08%.

It also makes the operation of any waterborne vessel subject to a drunk boating arrest. Previously the Colorado BUI laws covered motorboats and sailboats. The new legislation expands the law to anything powered by motor, paddle or oar, including jet skis, kayaks, canoes and rafts.

BUI penalties can include a jail term, fines, a restriction on use of the watercraft and community service.

The new law comes at a time when police officers across the state are cracking down on drunk driving in Colorado. The drunk boating law will be enforced by Colorado Park Rangers and county peace officers. Colorado is the 38th state to apply a blood alcohol content limit to watercraft.

If you have been charged with Driving Under the Influence in Colorado you need to hire a CO DUI Lawyer.

Colorado Drunk Driving Figures Released

Holiday campaign leads to 475 Colorado DUI arrests.

During the ‘Heat Is On’ campaign over the extended Fourth of July holiday weekend, 475 motorists were charged with driving under the influence in Colorado. The Colorado State Patrol and fifty law enforcement agencies performed extra patrols looking for drunk drivers between Thursday evening, July 3 and early Monday morning, July 7.

Nearly one third of the arrests were made on Friday. The Colorado State Patrol accounted for the most Colorado DUI arrests with 139. The Denver Police Department netted 67 arrests and Colorado Springs police totaled 53 DUI offenses.

A similar crackdown on drunk driving in Colorado will occur over the Labor Day weekend.

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Mobile Lab Arrives to Fight Colorado DUI in Colorado Springs

BATmobile is specially designed vehicle for processing suspected Colorado drunk drivers

A special mobile lab has arrived in Colorado to process motorists suspected of driving under the influence in Colorado Springs. Dubbed the BATmobile, with BAT standing for Blood Alcohol Testing, the vehicle contains blood and breath testing equipment that allows law enforcement to check for Colorado DUI in the field. That will make the processing of suspected drunk drivers in Colorado Springs quicker and more efficient. The alternative is to transport a DUI offender to a police substation or hospital for testing.

There are just three BATmobiles in Colorado. The vehicle was paid for with a $250,000 grant from the state. The newest lab will be shared by law enforcement groups fighting drunk driving in El Paso, Pueblo and Teller counties.

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New Legislation Could Change Summons for DUI in Colorado

Colorado Bill would make restrictions the same as those arrested for DUI in Colorado.

A Colorado Senate bill is making its way through the state legislature that would change the penalties associated with being issued a summons for drunk driving. Currently, rather than being arrested and issued a warrant for Colorado DUI, a motorist can be ticketed and issued a summons. The accused must then make a court appearance where formal charges may be filed.

State legislators discovered that those who are issued a summons for DUI are not subject to penalties and restrictions as those who are arrested. Because motorists are only given a ticket and not required to make bail, Colorado DUI laws limit the actions that judges can initiate.

The new bill would require bail being set for everyone charged with drinking and driving in Colorado, even if only a summons is issued. That would allow judges to impose penalties such as prohibiting alcohol consumption and requiring use of an ankle-monitoring bracelet.

A summons is commonly issued for DUI in Colorado because of jail overcrowding. Statistics from Weld County indicate that less than 1 percent of drunk drivers are jailed. The remainder are given a summons to appear in court.

The bill has passed the Colorado Senate and is currently in the House for review. If passed, it with provide law enforcement officers and the courts more options when addressing the problem of drunk driving, and it does not remove the ability to issue a summons for DUI.

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DUI Plates in CO?

House Backs 'DUI' Plates

By Michelle Dally Johnston

Denver Post Capitol Bureau

April 4 - People convicted of multiple drunken-driving offenses could be forced to drive with license plates spelling out their transgressions under a bill given preliminary approval by the state House of Representatives on Friday.

The bill by Rep. Bob Hagedorn, D-Aurora, increases penalties for drivers convicted of repeated alcohol-related driving violations.

Hagedorn's measure would require those who have had multiple drunken-driving convictions, or who have had their license revoked more than once, to turn in their license plates or have them replaced with a special set of plates that identifies the car as having been driven by a drunken driver.

Hagedorn said a key aspect of the bill, HB 1334, is requiring a $10,000 bond for those defined as repeat offenders.

Too often, he said, drunken-driving offenders continue to drive on revoked or suspended licenses, thus suffering few consequences of their actions.

Hagedorn's measure is fueled in part by his own experiences. He had a well-publicized drinking problem and started a new life of sobriety 18 months ago.

"For an alcoholic or addict to really come to grips (with their disease), they have to hit bottom,'' he said.

The experience of "spending a night in jail'' could do much good in convincing alcoholics that they need help, Hagedorn added.

The 45-year-old political science instructor said the key to his legislation was letting the people around the individual with the problem know that there is trouble that needs to be addressed.

"There would be notice to the owner of the vehicle that they could become liable. . . . They can get someone to help and work with the (alcohol-troubled) person.''

Hagedorn also said the special license plate would be a red flag to other drivers and law enforcement that the driver of the vehicle may be driving under the influence or on a revoked license.

Rep. Frana Mace, D-Denver, took exception to what she saw as the stigmatizing tag.

"It's pretty hard punishment to make a spouse drive around with a "I'm a drunk' license plate,'' Mace said. "Co-owners of cars are not responsible.''

But Mace was outvoted as the House passed the bill on a resounding voice vote.

The issue will be revisited by the House next week.