DENVER — Colorado law enforcement made 327 impaired driver arrests over a period of 10 days around Thanksgiving this year.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said 103 agencies united for their Thanksgiving DUI enforcement period of Nov. 20-30. During the Thanksgiving long weekend, three people died from three crashes.
During the 2019 enforcement period, 99 agencies made 430 arrests and the average Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level was .165, more than double the legal limit of .08.
"Appreciating the dangers of drinking and driving is not rocket science. Nevertheless, too many people continue to operate their vehicles while intoxicated or high," Colorado State Patrol Chief Matthew Packard said. "We hope the message is sobering for each impaired driver removed from the roads this past enforcement period. You never have to drive impaired, there are options."
The Colorado Springs Police Department, Denver Police Department and El Paso County Sheriff's Office recorded the highest number of arrests with 37, 27 and 27 arrests, respectively. Results for all law enforcement agencies across the state can be found here.
To reduce impaired driving during the holiday season, CDOT is offering 200 $10 Lyft ride credit codes every Thursday in December at 10 a.m. for residents of Denver, Colorado Springs and Thornton, the areas with the highest 2019 DUI fatalities, who sign the Gift of Lyft Pledge.
With COVID-19 cases growing dramatically, CDOT said the state is urging people to cancel gatherings with people who don't live with them.