Denver – Law enforcement agencies across the state have entered the final stretch of “100 Days of Heat” by joining the national DUI crackdown, “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest,” which begins Friday, Aug. 21 and continues through Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 8th. The Colorado State Patrol and more than 60 agencies across Colorado are mobilizing for an extensive statewide effort that includes sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and increased patrols throughout the 18-day period.

“We made a commitment starting with Memorial Day Weekend to make this the most heavily enforced summer in Colorado history to keep impaired drivers off our roadways,” said Col. James Wolfinbarger, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “We are using every opportunity available to encourage drivers to make smart choices to plan ahead for a sober ride if they will be celebrating with alcohol. We applaud drivers who listen, but for those drivers who choose to commit a crime by driving impaired, they can expect to go to jail.”

Since the “100 days of Heat” campaign kicked off on Memorial Day Weekend, statewide law enforcement agencies have made more than 1,555 DUI arrests during special enforcement periods, including 384 arrests made at sobriety checkpoints. Preliminary reports indicate that at least 29 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes between May 22 and Aug. 16, 2009. That is a 50 percent decline from the same period last year when 58 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes.

“We think the increased DUI enforcement, combined with good driver choices, are responsible for this summer’s drop in alcohol-related fatalities. But while there’s been progress, it’s important to remember there have still been 29 needless, senseless deaths this summer, so we will continue to hammer the point that drunk driving is a crime that will not be tolerated,” said Wolfinbarger.

In addition to jail time, drivers arrested for DUI face stiff fines, court costs and other fees that could cost more than $10,270. Even first-time offenders can lose their driver’s license and have an ignition interlock device on their vehicle for up to two years.