Is Your Colorado DUI BAC Anyone’s Business?

Despite our relationship with instant information and the private lives of celebrities, not every detail of our lives is open for public consumption. When you have a DUI in Colorado, there is a lot of information that you probably don’t want shared with the public. You may not be able to keep your name out of the local or state headlines, or hide public record of your criminal case, but you may soon have a shot at keeping your Colorado DUI blood alcohol concentration (BAC) information to yourself.

A bill is currently under consideration by the Colorado state legislature to keep BAC numbers out of the headlines. After a Colorado DUI occurs, the BAC is entered into a statewide database (along with any information about drug content) where it is used for statistics and research, and in court. That database, according to the bill, is not public information and the BAC you measure at the time of your DUI arrest can only be released to:

• You, as the accused in a Colorado DUI case.
• An interested party in the DUI case; someone who was injured or harmed as a result of your drunk driving.
• Your attorney or the legal representative of anyone who may have been injured or harmed by your actions.

If the bill is passed, the public will no longer be privy to the BAC of a Colorado DUI offender, which could be a positive step into recovery. Much like an ignition interlock device can keep an offender from the emotional frustration of a suspended license, less information available to the public can keep those feelings to a minimum. Given a positive environment to move beyond a DUI could make all the difference in whether the offender remains responsible on the road, or makes another mistake at the expense of other drivers.