You may have noticed more law enforcement vehicles on patrol over the past week. This is in anticipation of the St. Patrick's Day holiday.

In total, 88 agencies across Colorado have amped up the number of drunk driving patrols and DUI checkpoints through March 20. According to a spokesman with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), St. Patrick's Day lags behind the Fourth of July and Memorial Day in terms of DUI enforcement. Last year, 455 arrests were made, which was down from 505 the previous year. When the March holiday falls on the weekend, the number of arrests is higher.

With St. Patrick's Day falling on a Friday, many of the celebrations, including parades, will be held on Saturday. The spokesman for CDOT said "There's no doubt there's going to be a lot of St. Patrick's Day celebrations coming up and what happens at those celebrations, people drink, and that is great, but we just want people to have a plan for how they're going to get home safely without having to get behind the wheel."

A smartphone app from CDOT called R-U-Buzzed lets people enter their weight, how many drinks they have consumed in a given amount of time and can show users how it is possible to get a DUI even with just a couple of drinks.

If you or a loved one are arrested and charged with a DUI, it's important to get started on your legal defense quickly. Your attorney may be able to challenge the charge on a number of grounds, such as not having probable cause to stop you, the Breathalyzer not being maintained or operated properly, or for other reasons.

Source: kktv.com, "Law enforcement cracking down on drunk drivers for St. Patrick's Day," Khloe Keeler, March 09, 2017