DENVER — As many people went to Super Bowl parties to watch the football game, eat and drink, Clara Shelton remembered the legacy of her 18-year-old brother — a freshman at CU Boulder — who lost his life to an impaired driver.
"It was a completely preventable act of violence committed against him," Shelton said. "He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and ever since then I've been extremely involved with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) because to me, it feels like the best way to honor my brother's legacy and try to prevent this from happening to other families."
Shelton stressed the importance of planning ahead whether that is using a ride-share service, public transportation or having a designated driver. All of these are options and ways to keep the roads safe instead of getting behind the wheel intoxicated.
"People keep doing it and it's easier than ever to not drive impaired," Shelton said. "Uber and Lyft and all these things are readily available. It's just kind of wild to me that we have to keep fighting this fight over and over again."
Amid the Super Bowl craze, Shelton keeps the legacy of her brother alive by sharing his story and the impact someone's decision can have when getting behind the wheel.
"He loved being on campus and just had all this energy about what his life was going to be like and it all just came to a halt really, really fast for us and changed everything, changed everything for my family, and we've never been the same," Shelton said.
Over the weekend, the Colorado Department of Transportation supported the Colorado State Patrol, along with 76 local law enforcement agencies, with a heightened DUI enforcement period. The next DUI enforcement period will begin for Presidents Week from Feb. 13-26.
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