The Journal

The Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies will increase DUI enforcement during New Year’s weekend celebrations, from Dec. 29 to Jan. 2.

The heightened enforcement is part of The Heat Is On campaign and could include checkpoints, saturation patrols and additional law enforcement on duty dedicated to impaired driving enforcement.

So far, there have been 226 impairment-related traffic fatalities on Colorado roads in 2017, exceeding last year’s total of 191 impairment-involved deaths, CDOT said in a news release.

Last year, 106 agencies arrested 279 impaired drivers during the 5-day enforcement period, CDOT said.

“More than one-third of all traffic fatalities this year involved an impaired driver,” said Darrell Lingk, director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT. “It takes one person’s bad decision to change many lives forever. Plan a sober ride before you start celebrating.”

If you’re hosting a party or other New Year’s gathering, consider these tips to help prevent impaired driving:

Have plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages availableStop serving alcohol at least an hour before the end of the partyUse smaller serving cups to keep alcoholic beverages to the appropriate sizePlan activities and games that do not involve alcohol to reduce consumptionDon’t be afraid to take someone’s keys if they’ve had too much to drink, or if they’ve ingested any impairing substance like prescription drugs, sleep medication, marijuana or any form of illegal drug.