WINDSOR, Colo. – Every day 29 people die as a result of drunk driving crashes, that means one person every 50 minutes. In Colorado, 240 people were killed in impaired driving crashes in 2017. Denver City Council is voting Monday night on putting continued state funds behind a program to combat drunk driving and repeat DUI offenders.
Scott and Julie Nackos of Windsor lost their son Kyle to a drunk driving crash in 2014. The man who hit Kyle had a previous DUI conviction on his record.
“It should never happen, this crash should have never happened," said Julie Nackos. “I think we need to make our laws tougher. If they are drinking and driving it should be a felony the first time, they need to feel those consequences, they need to take responsibility of that.”
If approved by city council, the resolution would add $87,763 and one year to a grant agreement with Denver County Court. The new total would amount to $538,385.46 through June 30, 2019. The funding is for reimbursement of treatment and other required intervention costs for certain individuals with persistent drunk driving offenses in the “Persistent Drunk Drivers” (PDD) program.
The state of Colorado collects money in a separate fund for the PDD program. Every judicial district in the state receives support from the fund.
PDD cases involve people with a prior DUI conviction, someone with a blood alcohol content level of .150 or higher and drivers who refused testing when law enforcement made contact.
The PDD program helps pay for services such as outpatient treatment, monitored sobriety and putting interlock devices in cars. The program also supports the Sobriety Court and Restart Program.
