The California Highway Patrol will intensify operations in greater San Diego for five days this week as part of its annual efforts to keep motorists safe over Thanksgiving weekend.
During the “maximum enforcement period,” from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, all available CHP officers will be on duty, scouting local freeways and rural routes for DUI offenders, the state agency advised.
“As with every holiday, the CHP will work to keep motorists safe as they travel to gatherings with friends and family,” Highway Patrol Commissioner Amanda Ray said. “Our officers will be on patrol to take enforcement action as necessary and to provide assistance to motorists who are stranded or in need of help on the side of the road.”
Last Thanksgiving, the CHP jailed 1,033 people statewide on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, compared with 868 arrests over the comparable period in 2020, the agency reported.
During the long weekend in 2021, 42 people died in collisions and other incidents on roadways under the CHP’s jurisdiction. The fatalities included 16 pedestrians and a bicyclist.
Half the vehicle passengers killed in collisions nationwide during the Thanksgiving holiday period in 2020 – the latest year for which data is available – were not wearing seatbelts, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
– City News Service