FORT COLLINS, Colo. — On May 21, Fort Collins Police Services (FCPS) arrested two separate drivers in two separate crashes. Both were charged with driving under the influence (DUI) for a fourth time.
FCPS took to Facebook to warn the community of the incidents and remind drivers to be safe on the roadways.
"The problem is that it's happening at all. There are a lot of variables that we can't control when we're driving around the city, but driving drunk is not one of those," said J. Gilmore, director of communications for FCPS.
It is a problem that has been happening for decades.
On December 14, 1997, Brittany Lamb was 12 years old when she and her aunt were hit head-on by a drunk driver. As a helicopter transported the drunk driver to the hospital, the helicopter crashed, killing everyone on board.
"I had an open head fracture. I was put into an induced coma. I broke my nose. I broke the top of my mouth. I broke my collarbone and I broke my fingers and my toes," said Lamb.
Records show one of the drivers arrested by FCPS in May was charged with driving under suspension four times in addition to the three previous DUI charges. FCPS confirmed the other driver's previous three DUI charges were out-of-state.
Lamb shares her story with people convicted of a DUI at victim impact panels once a month, typically mandated by a judge. She said it's "discouraging" when she sees people attending the panel more than once.
"Everybody does make mistakes, but you have to be able to learn from that mistake," said Lamb.
In 2015, lawmakers enacted a law making a fourth DUI offense and any subsequent offense a felony. Then, in 2017, lawmakers stiffened penalties for repeat offenders, requiring those convicted of felony DUI offenses to serve 90 to 180 days in prison.
Before these new laws, judges were handing out different sentences for habitual offenders from county to county. Some offenders were not serving any time behind bars, while others were getting close to a year in prison. The change came after several district attorneys sounded the alarm about the disparities.
New laws also mandate that felony offenders serve 48 to 120 hours of public service.
Lamb continues sharing one message for people considering driving after drinking.
"Just try to think of other people. I think that's my biggest takeaway is, think of what you might do to somebody else's life if you get behind the wheel after drinking," said Lamb.
