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State Troopers increase patrols to target impaired drivers

Three-day surge enforcement in Weld County produced 49 DUI arrests
Longmont Leader Staff
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Troopers continue to take a low-tolerance approach to the top fatal crash factors, including impaired driving while launching a yearlong campaign called “Drive Safe.” This campaign reminds people to plan for a sober ride, drive the speed limit and control their lane position based on their current driving environment.Photo supplied

NEWS RELEASE
COLORADO STATE PATROL
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The Colorado State Patrol conducted saturation patrols Feb. 16-17 focused on impaired driving throughout Weld County. In 2023, Colorado State Troopers investigated 119 crashes involving impaired drivers in Weld County, making it one of the top counties for impaired-caused crashes in the state.

During this campaign seven troopers invested a total of 550 hours.  Their efforts generated the following results:

  • Contacts - 546
  • DUI arrests - 49 (15 were second time offenders or more)
  • Citations issued for non-DUI related offenses - 72

The Colorado State Patrol will continue to raise awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and enforce DUI laws on those who choose to drive impaired. Special operations such as this one highlight the need for continued efforts.  

Looking at all crashes investigated by troopers for Weld County last year, 294 were injury or fatality crashes. The top four causal factors for these crashes were impaired driving, lane violations (weaving and unsafe lane changes), distracted driving, and disregarding a stop sign. The deadliest times were Thursday, Friday and Saturday late afternoon through Sunday morning.

This three-day, high-visibility operation intended to raise awareness and gain voluntary compliance from the motoring public to find designated drivers or abstain from drinking an alcoholic beverage, smoking or ingesting cannabis products, and then driving.

Troopers also increased enforcement on excessive speed and lane violations and lowered their overall tolerance with motorists driving "over the limit."

If you encounter a suspected impaired driver, the driver should be avoided by getting out of the way. Contact the Colorado State Patrol after you pull over by calling *CSP (*277), 719-544-2424 or 303-239-4501. Be prepared to provide the following information: vehicle description, license plate number, location and direction of travel, driver description, and the driving behavior being demonstrated. All emergency calls can be made to 911.

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