Drivers beware this holiday weekend, as police will be just about everywhere.
Law enforcement officers will be out in force throughout the Memorial Day weekend beginning Friday evening and look for motorists driving drunk or otherwise violating traffic laws, including the requirement to wear seatbelts.
The “maximum enforcement period” will begin at 6:01 p.m. and extend through 11:59 p.m. Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol. During that period, all available officers will be on patrol.
“Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start of summer and a time when many families and travelers will be on the go,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “CHP officers will take to the roads throughout the holiday weekend and will be working to save lives through seat belt education and enforcement.”
Thirty-nine people died statewide in collisions during the 2016 Memorial Day weekend, and two-thirds of them were not wearing seat belts, Farrow said. CHP officers made 1,065 DUI arrests during that weekend.
California joins the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in its “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement campaign.
“Many Americans understand the lifesaving value of the seat belt,” Farrow said. “The national seat belt use rate is at 87 percent, and in California it is more than 97 percent. The statistics are good, but we can do even better. … Many of the deaths and injuries that occur on the highway are entirely preventable.”
—City News Service