California Highway Patrol officers will increase patrols across Southern California and the rest of the state beginning Friday evening as part of a 12-hour enforcement operation targeting impaired drivers.
The statewide Maximum Enforcement Period will begin at 6 p.m. Friday and continue until 5:59 a.m. Saturday, with all uniformed CHP personnel participating, according to the agency.
Officers will increase their presence on California roads with a focus on identifying and stopping motorists suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
"The message is clear: Impaired driving will not be tolerated on California roads. It is preventable, dangerous and puts every person nearby at risk," CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said. "If you plan to drink or may be impaired, arrange a sober ride home. During this statewide enforcement period, CHP personnel of every rank will make it their mission to identify and remove impaired drivers from our roads."
From 2022 through 2024, alcohol- or drug-impaired driving contributed to an average of nearly 800 fatal crashes each year and more than 39,400 injury crashes overall on California roads, according to data from the CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System.
During a 12-hour Maximum Enforcement Period held over Halloween weekend last year, CHP officers arrested more than 500 motorists on suspicion of impaired driving and issued nearly 2,000 speeding citations, including 96 to drivers traveling faster than 100 mph, according to the agency.
The CHP urged motorists who see a suspected impaired driver to call 911 and provide information including the vehicle's make, model, license plate number and direction of travel.
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