New Colorado dashboard provides public with information on causes of DUIs in the state
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has launched a new digital toxicology dashboard to provide the latest drug and alcohol blood toxicology testing for suspected impaired driving offenses.
The CBI says the initiative aims to inform the public and improve understanding of trends in impaired driving. CBI scientists receive each blood sample and test each one thoroughly. This test shows what is in the impaired driver's system, which can include drugs, alcohol or some combination of various substances.
All the data is then placed on their dashboard. The data includes:
• Mean Time to Complete Testing: Providing insight into the efficiency of the toxicology testing process.
• Percentage of Samples Detecting Potentially Impairing Illegal Substances: Showing the prevalence of illicit and prescription drugs and alcohol in suspected impaired driving cases.
• Number of Completed Toxicology Tests by Agency: Differentiating between tests initiated by the Colorado State Patrol and those by all other law enforcement agencies across the state.
The dashboard serves as a valuable resource for:
• Public Awareness: Educating Colorado residents on the impact of impaired driving.
• Policy Development: Providing data-driven insights for legislative and programmatic interventions.
• Law Enforcement Operations: Offering agencies a clearer picture of testing trends and enforcement efforts.
• Research and Analysis: Supporting further academic and governmental studies on impaired driving. This launch of statistics reflects data from the year 2024 with subsequent updates occurring every six months thereafter. The State of Colorado encourages all interested parties to explore this new resource and utilize the information to contribute to safer roads across the state.
Each test takes scientists 90 days to 120 days to complete. This includes receiving the sample and testing it. The CBI says the current sample shows alcohol being the worst impairment issue, followed by THC. CBI officials say this is just a small part of what the dashboard can provide. Anyone can see it and know what to look out for.
"We produced this dashboard and have a great dataset that can give the public, policy makers and law enforcement a really good understanding of what drugs may be impacting suspected impaired drivers," said Vanessa Beall, CBI Toxicology Program Manager.
This data is updated every six months.
