St. Patrick's Day DUI Weekend: $13,500. Take The CDOT Pledge

ACROSS COLORADO – If you're going to be celebrating with green beer and bud this weekend, remember booze and weed together make driving even more dangerous, the Colorado Department of Transportation says.

To help Coloradans get around safely and avoid a DUI this weekend, CDOT, AAA, City of Denver, MIG and Lyft are providing $13,500 in free Lyft rides — the average cost of a DUI in Colorado, after considering legal fees and increased insurance costs, the agency said.

You can sign up for a free rideshare credit by taking the CDOT St. Patrick's Day 2019 Pledge:

"Whether consuming alcohol, cannabis, or any combination of the two, I pledge to always plan for a sober ride and to never drive impaired."

Sign up online and you can be entered for a free Lyft ride.

Last year, as part of the Heat Is On DUI traffic enforcement program, Colorado traffic enforcement agencies made 323 arrests statewide over St. Patrick's Day Weekend.

In 2018, Colorado State Patrol issued a total of 5,144 DUI citations. Of those, 461 citations were for combined alcohol and marijuana impairment — a 112 percent increase from the previous year, CDOT said in a statement.

“Driving is a privilege, and consuming alcohol, marijuana or other drugs before doing so is extremely dangerous, not to mention selfish,” said Skyler McKinley, director of public relations and government affairs for AAA Colorado in a statement. “We’re excited that through this partnership, we’ll be providing a real solution for Coloradans to plan ahead and avoid driving impaired.”

“Poly-consumption impairment, or consuming alcohol in combination with marijuana or other drugs, is on the rise in Colorado,” said Col. Matthew Packard, chief of the CSP in a statement. “Law enforcement are trained to identify the signs of impairment from all substances, including cannabis.”

“St. Patrick’s Day is commonly associated with alcohol consumption, but many Coloradans may elect to consume cannabis instead, or perhaps, consume alcohol and cannabis together,” said Kristi Kelly, executive director of the Marijuana Industry Group, in a statement. “We think this partnership conveys an important message — no matter how you choose to celebrate, planning a sober ride ahead of time is always the safe choice.”

Related: Arrest Aftermath: Denver St. Patrick's Day Among Nation's Highest

Related: Denver St. Patrick's Day Parade 2019

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