A Colorado DUI involving property damage can create several legal issues at the same time. You may face a DUI, DUI per se, or DWAI allegation, possible traffic charges connected to the crash, restitution for qualifying losses, insurance claims, and a separate Colorado DMV process. If you left the scene or struck unattended property, Colorado […]
Fall football tailgates in Colorado can combine several hours of drinking with crowded parking lots, late kickoffs, heavy postgame traffic, and the mistaken feeling that you are sober enough to drive. Colorado does not have a separate tailgate DUI offense. The same DUI, DWAI, DUI per se, chemical testing, and driver’s license rules can apply […]
Yes. You can be charged with DUI, DWAI, or DUI per se for riding an electric scooter in Denver when the facts meet Colorado’s impaired-driving laws. Colorado Revised Statutes § 42-4-1301 applies to a person who drives a “motor vehicle or vehicle” while under the influence or while ability impaired. Colorado’s statutory definition of “vehicle” […]
Yes. You can be charged with DUI or DWAI in Denver even when police find you asleep in a parked car and never see the vehicle moving. Colorado defines a driver as a person who drives or is in actual physical control of a vehicle. In People v. Swain, the Colorado Supreme Court confirmed that […]
Labor Day weekend can bring increased impaired-driving enforcement across Colorado. The Colorado Department of Transportation runs The Heat Is On throughout the year with high-visibility enforcement periods tied to national holidays and major public events. These periods can include saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints, and added officers focused on impaired driving. CDOT also identifies the period […]
If you miss a scheduled Colorado DMV hearing after a DUI arrest, your driving privilege may be revoked even while the criminal DUI case is still pending. The DMV case and the criminal court case are separate proceedings, so waiting for your next court date can leave the license issue unresolved. If you requested the […]
Colorado increases the consequences when a driver has prior convictions for DUI, DUI per se, DWAI, or certain related offenses. A qualifying second conviction generally carries at least 10 consecutive days in jail. A qualifying third misdemeanor conviction generally carries at least 60 consecutive days. Repeat convictions can also bring probation, public service, alcohol and […]
Colorado police usually build a drug DUI case from a timeline of evidence rather than one decisive test. Officers may rely on driving behavior, roadside observations, statements, field sobriety exercises, a Drug Recognition Expert evaluation, body-camera or dash-camera video, physical evidence, and toxicology results. A positive blood test can show that a drug or metabolite […]
Yes. Colorado can investigate, arrest, and prosecute an out-of-state driver for DUI or DWAI when the alleged driving occurred in Colorado. The state printed on your license does not remove Colorado’s authority over conduct on Colorado roads. An arrest can create three separate concerns: A criminal case in a Colorado court A Colorado DMV matter […]
A Colorado DUI conviction usually remains on your criminal record permanently. It does not disappear when you finish probation, complete alcohol education, regain your driving privileges, or maintain a safe driving history for several years. Your Colorado driving record is different. The Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles offers records covering the previous seven years and […]