COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Temperatures are heating up, and so is the pressure on drunk drivers.
The "100 Days of Heat" campaign kicks off Friday, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
In 2010, 150 people were killed in alcohol -elated deaths throughout Colorado.
Officers said more than 40 percent of those deaths happened during the summer months.
This campaign will run from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, when officers said they see the most drinking and driving and the most deaths.
"It's summer time. It's warmer, there's a lot more outdoor activities. Activities that are serving alcohol and beer and whatnot, and bigger family get-togethers," Capt. Charles Cargin with the Colorado State Patrol said.
Multiple agencies are teaming up to make sure drunk drivers stay off the road.
"Officers are few and drunks are many. We try to collaborate all our efforts and get as many as we can," Cargin said.
Officers said they are trying to bring down the number of drunk driving-related deaths in El Paso County.
"We were the second highest in the state in DUI fatal crashes with a number of 18," Cargin said.
Cargin thinks programs like the 100 Days of Heat are working.
Between Jan. 1, 2010 and May 2010 there were seven fatal crashes, three of which were DUI-related in El Paso County.
Cargin said this year since January there have only been four fatal crashes, none of which were DUI-related.
Sandy Eversole knows all too well the pain driving under the influence can cause. Her son, David Mueller, was killed in a DUI crash in July 2009. He was only 19.
"The boy was extremely intoxicated and he decided to race his car and go over 100 miles per hour and lost control, and my son was ultimately thrown out of the vehicle," Eversole said.
Eversole said her son died immediately, but the pain is still unbearable.
"David had the biggest future in the world. At the age of 14 he had started investing in stocks," Eversole said.
David also was a track star.
"He broke a 200 meter record in 2008 that was a 30 year record that had held at Coronado. In his first year at UCCS he broke nine records," she said.
Eversole is now a member of Moms Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and shares David's story as often as she can.
"One mistake can be as fast as a snap of a finger, it could lose a life, and it could shatter many many lives, and there's so many different ways that people who do want to party they can have a designated driver, a taxi cab, or just stay put where they are," Eversole said.
Another option is Designated Driver of Colorado Springs.
"These tragedies, DUIs, they're preventable. We are out from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday night to help people get home safely. Not only do we get them home safely, but we drive them home safely in their own vehicles," Nonie Rispin with Designated Driver of Colorado Springs said.
Rispin said Designated Driver of Colorado Springs has provided almost 10,000 safe rides home since January of 2009.
Eversole and Rispin hope people remember their options before getting behind the wheel drunk.
"Remember that we're out there to keep everyone in our community safe. Almost 10,000 rides. People are listening, and I think that we're making a difference," said Rispin.
Eversole doesn't want anyone else to make the same mistake as the driver who took her son from her.
"Sometimes people just don't get it, and if they could only know the pain that it's caused, it's enormous every single day," Eversole said.