Colorado's Halloween-week impaired-driving crackdown is now under way across the state. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) says it will support the Colorado State Patrol and 17 local law enforcement agencies for The Heat Is On Halloween Weekend DUI enforcement period, which runs from October 28 to November 3. During the period, drivers may see saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints and additional officers on duty whose specific job is to arrest impaired drivers and keep Colorado's roads safe.

The timing is deliberate. Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31 this year, in the middle of a season of festivals, football games and parties that CDOT and the State Patrol say makes autumn one of the most prominent times of the year for drinking outside the home. The enforcement window covers the full week around the holiday, not just Halloween night itself, and it is already in effect.

Why Halloween gets its own enforcement period

CDOT says last year, three fatal crashes involving impaired driving occurred on Halloween, marking the holiday as one of the deadliest impaired-driving events of 2025. That record is the reason Halloween has its own named enforcement period in Colorado, separate from the state's other holiday crackdowns.

"Autumn in Colorado is special. There are endless festivals, football games and Halloween, which also makes it one of the most prominent times of the year for drinking outside the home. In October 2025, 1,427 DUI arrests were made," said Colonel Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. "Always make a plan before drinking and encourage loved ones to do the same; you could save their life."

Alcohol is not the only impairment officers are watching for

CDOT stresses that the crackdown is not only about alcohol. Alcohol, cannabis and other substances all impair driving, the department says, and using cannabis together with alcohol or other drugs — a pattern called polyconsumption — can enhance the effects of each drug. Polyconsuming can affect reaction time, problem-solving skills, coordination and perception of time, all of which matter behind the wheel.

"All impairing substances, including alcohol and cannabis, affect your ability to drive safely and can lead to a crash, DUI or fatality," said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. "This Halloween, choose a sober ride and never drive after consuming any impairing substance."

Drivers arrested for DUI in Colorado also face the state's Expressed Consent law: CDOT reminds motorists that refusing to provide a breath or blood test once arrested for a DUI may come with increased consequences. CDOT publishes the details of that law and of Colorado's DUI laws on its safety pages, and its crash-data dashboard carries the official count of roadway fatalities in the state.

What drivers — including truckers — should expect this week

For anyone driving Colorado roads between now and November 3 — commuters, Halloween party-goers, rideshare and delivery drivers, and the long-haul truckers who cross the state on its interstate corridors — the practical meaning of the period is simple: more patrol cars, a real chance of a checkpoint or a saturation patrol in the evening hours, and zero tolerance from officers who are on duty specifically to find impaired drivers. Anyone stopped after drinking or using cannabis should expect the stop to end in arrest, not a warning.

What happens next: the Halloween period ends on November 3, and CDOT says the next Heat Is On enforcement period will be Thanksgiving Weekend, running from November 20 to December 1. The Heat Is On campaign runs throughout the year, with 15 specific high-visibility impaired-driving enforcement periods centred on national holidays and large public events. CDOT also produces a video series, "The Long Road: Navigating a DUI Arrest," giving motorists a firsthand look at what a DUI arrest involves.