Fireworks erupted against Denver’s skies on the Fourth of July, as area residents celebrated the nation’s independence. But some of the bright lights that night were not colored explosions, but were cast by police cars pulling motorists over on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The Denver Police Department arrested 44 drivers for DUI over the three-day weekend. The good news is that the total was down 36 percent from last year’s holiday weekend. Sixty-nine motorists were arrested in 2013, the Colorado Department of Transportation reported.
DPD officers also made a single arrest for driving under the influence of drugs (DUID).
In Boulder, police made 17 arrests for DUI, while Aurora law enforcement officials made 28 DUI arrests beginning last Thursday through last Sunday night.
Though the Colorado State Patrol participated in the annual The Heat Is On crackdown on drunken drivers, the agency has yet to report how many arrests it made across the state last weekend.
On its website, the agency describes how someone can spot a possibly impaired driver, including the following:
- The person appears to be drunk, with fixed eyes or their face close to the windshield.
- They make unusually wide turns with their vehicle.
- The driver comes close to striking an object or another vehicle.
- Their vehicle weaves or drifts in and out of lanes.
- Braking or stopping erratically.
- They accelerate rapidly, followed by tailgating and making abrupt turns.
- Response to traffic signals is slow.
- They drive at night with their headlights off.
For those interested in trying to minimize the impact of a DUI arrest and conviction, talk over your legal options with an experienced DUI attorney.
Source: The Fort Morgan Times, “Small fires, DUI arrests mark holiday long weekend in Denver area,” Tom McGhee, July 7, 2014