Colorado State Patrol provides demonstration to show what happens when drivers are pulled over for DUI
As hundreds of fans plan to attend the big Colorado Rockies home opener, you may want to enjoy the game with a drink.
If you make the decision to drink, make sure you have a ride; you should never drink and drive. Colorado State Patrol says that once the game is over, they will be patrolling the roads and arresting anyone caught driving under the influence.
Troopers say once they see someone driving erratically, they turn on their lights and sirens to pull the driver over.
"Walking up to the car and making sure you are in a safe location," said Colorado State Trooper Derrick Heller. "We are talking to the driver to establish what was going on and what were they doing prior."
During their patrol, they look for driving breaking what they call "moving violations."
"Following too closely, weaving, obviously driving on the opposite of travel, wrong way drivers and speeding," Heller said.
Then, they evaluate the driver to find out why their actions led to bad driving decisions. Troopers look for signs of Central Nervous System Depressants.
"Bloodshot, red watery eyes or glassy eyes," Heller said. "Speech is usually going to be slow and or stumbling and mumbling. The big one I see a lot is folks don't actually want to talk directly to you."
Once troopers notice the signs of impairment, they must put the driver through three tests.
"It's going to start with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test," Heller said. "What we are looking for is the involuntary jerking of the eyes. The walk and turn test or the divided attention test is next. Lastly, is the one leg stand test."
If the driver fails these tests, they must breathe through a breathalyzer. This will check their Blood Alcohol Concentration levels. If it reads higher than a .05 or you show even the slightest sign of impairment, this is probable cause to arrest you.
Troopers say it is important to remember if you are pulled over on a Friday, a judge or even bail might not be granted until Monday, so you may be stuck in jail for the entire weekend.
Drivers face having to pay at least $13,000 in court fees and fines, having their vehicle impounded or paying a fee for storage, having their license taken away, and having an interlock device added to their vehicle. You have to blow into it sober to get your car to start.
Troopers are reminding all drivers that DUIs are 100% preventable. If you make the decision to drink, use cannabis, or use hard drugs before driving, they say you're making a selfish decision.
"Far too often, it is not necessarily the impaired driver that tends to die in these crashes; it is going to be those innocent folks," Heller said. "Whether it is someone who got in the car and not knowing the driver was impaired or a family that was on the roadway on their way back home that was not doing anything wrong."
If you notice someone driving erratically, call 911. Provide the make, model, and color of the car, the direction they were going, and the license plate.
