A special red ribbon will adorn a designated Steamboat Springs Police vehicle on Saturday, August 24, as part of Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s (MADD) Saturation Saturday Initiative as it patrols for impaired drivers.
“Many of us have personally seen firsthand the effects of drunk driving and its impacts on families and communities such as ours,” commented Police Commander Annette Dopplick. “While we’re out every day to enforce drunk driving laws, Saturation Saturday brings a heightened awareness that one life lost is one too many.”
The campaign is a coordinated effort by law enforcement agencies across the state and nationwide to encourage safe driving and high-visibility enforcement during one of the most heavily traveled weekends of the year.
Saturation Saturday takes place on August 24, the weekend before Labor Day. It coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, which runs from August 14 through September 2. Drunk driving is a deadly epidemic that takes the lives of more than 10,000 people each year, on average.
During this day, the red ribbon Steamboat Springs Police vehicle will be dedicated to patrolling for impaired drivers in honor of victims, like Clark resident Sancy Shaw, and survivors of drunk and drugged driving. Alcohol or marijuana played a factor in the 2018 Christmas Eve crash on Interstate 70 where an impaired woman killed Shaw and herself.
Saturation Saturday was first launched in Missouri by Meghan Carter in 2016. Due to the success of the program, MADD is holding simultaneous events across the country this year. The mission of MADD is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking.
If you drink, have a designated driver or use a ridesharing app (Uber or Lyft), catch a cab or hop aboard the FREE SST bus. To report a drunk driver, call 9-1-1, or dial one of Colorado's cell-phone-only hotlines such as *CSP (star 277) to reach the Colorado State Patrol or *DUI (star 384) to reach the drunk driving hotline.
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Contact
Brent Hunstad, Sergeant, 970.879.4344 or email
Annette Dopplick, Commander, 970.879.4344 or email