The car sits there, filling with smoke. It’s as if the vehicle is jammed with people smoking weed and getting high. Slowly the smoke clears, though, and neon letters inside begin to glow. “Drive High, Get a DUI,” the letters spell out.
The Smoking Car is one of the marketing tools the Colorado Department of Transportation has rolled out to help make drivers aware that it is illegal to drive while impaired by marijuana. The effort is part of the law enforcement campaign known as “The Heat Is On,” according to a news report.
CDOT also has other message-delivering tricks up its sleeve, including an arcade game installed in dispensaries in Denver, Aurora and other cities around the state. At first glance, it apparently looks like another video racing game. But when you hit the Start button, you get a message from CDOT reminding you that driving while high can result in a DUI (DUID).
According to a recent newspaper article, the agency also has something it calls a Cannabis Quiz Cab; a taxi-trivia combo in which participants are asked trivia questions that can earn them Ztrip credits (up to $100).
The state’s goal is to reduce dangerous driving, which includes driving while impaired, whether the impairment is caused by marijuana, alcohol, prescription drugs or other substances. Of course, police officers have a number of tools at their disposal to provide disincentives to drivers who break the law: DUID arrests that come with possible jail time, significant fines, driver’s license suspension, mandated community service, probation and more.
A Denver attorney experienced in DUI and DUID defense can assess your situation and help negotiate with the prosecutor reduced or dropped charges, or take your case to court if that’s the best way to get justice for you.