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Rock Jam DUI's Nearly Double Last Year's

Ten DUI's Could Cost Offenders Thousands of Dollars

POSTED: 8:07 pm MDT August 30, 2010
UPDATED: 8:46 pm MDT August 30, 2010
The Rock Jam stats are in, but we're not looking at attendance numbers. Instead, how many people were arrested by Colorado State Troopers over the weekend.

Ten people learned that drinking and driving is not legal. It's a lapse in judgment that could cost them thousands of dollars in the long run, and even more if required to have a car breathalyzer installed.

"As far as motorists on the roadway, there's a lot more dynamics there," said Sgt. Scott Simons with CSP.

The heat is on, and this past weekend showed how much enforcement is going on.

Ten suspected drunk drivers will face a judge after being arrested for DUI during Rock Jam weekend. That compares to six arrests last year.

While that may not sound like much, this weekend's ten is already 5% of the 200 DUI arrests troopers expect to make this entire year.

It's a crime that could cost offenders upwards of $10,000 dollars in lawyer fees and other fines, but one that could cost more for people who need to drive.

Car breathalyzers, or 'Alcohol Interlock Devices' as they're officially called, can be installed into cars and can determine whether the driver is impaired or not. "It registers your alcohol content in your breath," said Mark Berkley, owner of Berkley's Automotive in Grand Junction.

His shop has installed almost 200 of these devices in cars over the past few years. "We started with 20 clients a few years ago," He said. "Since then, it's exploded."

The way they work is once you get in the car, you have to blow a reading. If under the one drink maximum, you're allowed to drive home.

But during that drive, you'll be giving more readings depending on the length of your trip. "It will ask you to blow as you continue to drive."

And it isn't cheap to have. "The individual that got the DUI pays for it, and it's around 80 dollars a month," Berkley said.

And it often isn't a choice, either. Most of the time it's either court or DMV ordered in your car for an extended period of time.

"I've seen them in there for anywhere from nine months to two years," Berkley said. "And I've seen them go up to as high as five years."

That's an average additional investment of at least $720 all the way up to $4,800 dollars depending on the time. And what's more is if you fail a test with the breathalyzer in your car, you could face an additional $50 in fines.

"Any failed tests, anything, will be sent off once a month," Berkley said.

It's a solution that could make drivers think twice next time they drink. And it's one that Berkley feels is working to keep our streets safe.

"It's helped me re-think my lifestyle," He said.

Berkley's shop is one of three in the area that install the devices. He says each company has a client list of around 200 people with those lists growing everyday.

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