The Colorado State Patrol will continue its low tolerance enforcement of traffic laws through the winter holiday season, punishing violations that would have previously resulted in warnings.

This comes as additional street patrols and DUI checkpoints were put in place last week by the state patrol, Department of Transportation and 84 police and sheriff’s agencies, in an effort to prevent impaired driving over Thanksgiving.

In an announcement Monday, the state patrol said it will continue its targeted Thanksgiving operations to address traffic law violations like distracted driving, speeding and driving while impaired.

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“The 2021 crash picture is the worst we have seen in Colorado in over five years,” said Matthew Packard, chief of the state patrol. “We are lowering our tolerance on what may have once been given a warning. Our southern Denver metro area down I-25 is facing a safety crisis and we know that visibility and strong enforcement will save lives.”

This year, there has been a 66% increase in fatal crashes in the Denver metro area compared to the same period in 2020, according to the state patrol. Impaired and distracted driving were found to be the top causes of the crashes.

Fatal crashes are also more prevalent during the winter holiday season. Last year, seven people were killed in crashes in Colorado in the days surrounding Christmas, according to the Department of Transportation. That was the year’s second-most holiday traffic fatalities, beat by nine deaths around Independence Day.

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“We’re losing ground. It’s time to take the responsibilities of driving seriously,” Packard said. “We have to do better. You have a responsibility to your community, to your loved ones, and to yourself to focus while behind the wheel and stop buying into the myth that it is okay to drive after drinking alcohol or taking drugs.”

Though there is no set end date for the continuation of the low enforcement policy, Packard said it would continue throughout the next several weeks.

While impaired driving has always had a no tolerance approach, the state patrol said it will also lower tolerance and cite more drivers on lane violations — an indicator of impairment, distracted driving and speeding.