CDOT: 500+ drivers arrested for driving while impaired during 10-day Thanksgiving crackdown

DENVER -- More than 500 drivers were arrested over a 10-day period around Thanksgiving on driving while impaired charges by Colorado law enforcement agencies statewide.

The Colorado Department of Transportation said officers arrested a total of 518 people during their “The Heat is On” campaign, which spanned Nov. 18 to Nov. 28. Ninety-seven agencies participated in the enforcement program.

This year’s enforcement period was twice as long as last year’s, which netted 283 arrests.

Another sobriety enforcement campaign kicks off Friday. It will run through Dec. 12, and 90 agencies will be participating.

During the Thanksgiving crackdown, Aurora police made the most arrests (69), followed by Colorado State Patrol (64) and Denver police (57). A full list of results from agencies involved in the crackdown can be found here.

CDOT says 177 people have so far died in impaired crashes in Colorado so far this year.

“Traffic fatalities in Colorado have already surpassed last year’s total,” said Darrell Lingk, Director of the Office of Transportation Safety at CDOT in a Friday news release. “Impaired drivers were involved in about one-third of those deaths, and CDOT is determined to continue DUI-prevention efforts, as enforcement is our most effective tool to reduce impaired driving crashes and fatalities.”