The California Highway Patrol is serving notice that its officers will be out in force over the Thanksgiving weekend with what CHP calls a “Maximum Enforcement Period,” with officers on the lookout for seatbelt violations, speeding, impaired and distracted drivers.
The maximum enforcement will be in effect from 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21 through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 25.
“Motorists are less likely to encounter one of our officers by simply wearing their seatbelt,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in a news release. “Not only does the law require everyone inside the vehicle to be properly secured, seatbelts are your best line of defense in a collision.”
“Although the majority of motorists in California are buckling up every time they get into a vehicle, there is still a small portion of the motoring public that need this reminder,” added Commissioner Farrow. “By not wearing your seat belt, the risk of death or injury in a collision substantially increases.”
Thirty-two people were killed in traffic accidents over the Thanksgiving holiday last year, a 52% increase from Thanksgiving in 2010, Farrow notes. And last year during the Thanksgiving holiday, the CHP made 1,475 arrests for driving under the influence.