10,000 Colorado drivers arrested in 2017 DUI patrols

Law enforcement officers across the state arrested more than 10,000 drivers for suspected impaired driving during 2017 enforcement periods.

During those periods, which coincided with national holidays and public events, law enforcement agencies added extra patrols and put additional officers on the streets. In total, 10,359 drivers were arrested during 14 enforcement periods in 2017, according to a Colorado Department of Transportation news release. By comparison, in 2016, 7,279 drivers were arrested during 12 enforcement periods.

The enforcement is part of the ongoing The Heat Is On campaign. CDOT's Highway Safety Office provides funding for impaired driving enforcement, education and awareness campaigns, including The Heat Is On.

The most recent enforcement period was Dec. 29 through Jan. 2, during which officers across the state arrested 366 drivers. In Larimer County, local law enforcement officers arrested 24 drivers during that period.

Col. Matthew Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol, said about one-third of Colorado's 2017 traffic fatalities involved impaired drivers.

"At an alarming rate, we continue to see impaired drivers on Colorado roadways putting themselves and other motorists in danger," Packard said in the news release. "The more dangerous drivers we can get off the roads, the safer motorists will be."

Preliminary data indicates that 226 people died in alcohol-related crashes in Colorado during 2017, according to CDOT.