Police Promise ‘Maximum Enforcement’ Through Thanksgiving Holiday

People planning road trips over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend will need to watch their speed and be mindful of other traffic safety rules as the California Highway Patrol ramps up for a “maximum enforcement” campaign.

Between 6 p.m. Wednesday and midnight Monday, all available CHP officers will hit the streets, looking for traffic violators.

“During the holiday season, many people are in a hurry and eager to get to their destination,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “It’s important to remember that safety should never take a back seat. Be safe. Pay attention to the road. Never drink, and always buckle up.”

The agency’s maximum enforcement period coincides with a statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign emphasizing seatbelt safety.

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Thirty-seven people died in crashes during last year’s Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Of those, 19 were not strapped in, according to the CHP.

Some of the collisions were the result of drunken driving. CHP officers arrested 1,461 people on suspicion of DUI statewide during the Thanksgiving 2009 enforcement effort.

The Riverside CHP office was responsible for 50 of those arrests — double the number from the year before.