CHP to ramp up enforcement for Labor Day Weekend
Maximum enforcement period will be in effect Friday through Monday
–All available California Highway Patrol officers will be on duty during the Labor Day Maximum Enforcement Period, from 6:01 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, to 11:59 p.m. Monday, Sept. 5. Drug recognition experts and CHP officers will be on patrol watching for impaired drivers as well as assisting motorists in need throughout the holiday weekend.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched its annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign on Aug. 19, and it will run through Sep. 5. This law enforcement crackdown is intended to zero in on drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs and help reduce injury and fatal collisions. Research from NHTSA shows that high-visibility enforcement, such as an MEP, can reduce impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20-percent.
During last year’s Labor Day weekend, CHP officers made more than 1,200 arrests for driving under the influence. Unfortunately, 32 people were killed in collisions in California during the same weekend, and at least seven of those people killed were not wearing seat belts.
If you see a suspected impaired driver, call 9-1-1. Be prepared to provide the dispatcher a description of the vehicle, the license plate number, location, and direction of travel. Your phone call may save someone’ s life.
