Labor Day weekend is coming up, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Colorado Department of Transportation urge Coloradans to be safe and responsible behind the wheel.

With CDOT ramping up DUI enforcement throughout the state from mid-August to early September, the urgency is in place to keep end-of-summer poor decisions to a minimum.

MADD is known as being a large proponent against drunk driving. Several of their volunteers are people who have been personally impacted by impaired driving. CDOT's release about the two entities pushing for responsible driving quoted Clara Shelton, a volunteer for MADD who lost her brother to an impaired driver in 2016. She said:

One man's choice to drive drunk changed my family's life forever. [My brother] and every other victim of impaired driving should be here today. Don't drive drunk. It's that simple.

The Colorado Department of Transportation reported that, as of Aug. 30, there have already been 146 traffic fatalities in Colorado with an impaired driver suspected to be involved. According to CDOT, the counties with the highest number of impaired fatalities are Denver (16). Adams (12), Arapahoe (13), Jefferson (13), El Paso (11), and Pueblo (10).

Historically, Labor Day weekend is the heaviest time of year for law enforcement to crack down on impaired driving. This year, in the previous period mentioned of Aug. 18 to Sept. 6, there are 71 law enforcement agencies participating in the program to keep as much control over impaired driving as possible.

According to CDOT, over 20,000 arrests are made of impaired drivers annually in Colorado. Most of those arrests, reportedly, are made pre-crash, potentially saving a countless number of lives.

Be safe. Drive responsibly. And remember, if you've had a drink, you're not okay to drive.

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