California Highway Patrol’s 4th of July crackdown begins today
California Highway Patrol officers will be ramping up patrols on state highways and roads tonight and Wednesday to catch drunken and drug-impaired drivers as part of the agency’s annual Fourth of July crackdown.
The CHP’s “maximum enforcement period” will start at 6 p.m. and conclude at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, during which all available officers will hit the streets for targeted anti-DUI patrols.
“Do not let a day of festivities turn into a day of tragedy,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said. “If you drive impaired, you risk your life and the lives of others on the road. Motorists will help make everyone’s holiday safer by driving sober, fastening their seat belts and avoiding distractions.”
Officers from the Beaumont, Blythe, Indio, Riverside and Temecula CHP stations will deploy onto inland freeways, highways and unincorporated roads for the campaign.
During last year’s Fourth of July MEP, the CHP arrested 1,244 motorists on suspicion of DUI statewide, compared to 1,144 in the 2016 campaign. The 2017 MEP spanned four days. According to the agency, 47 people were killed in collisions investigated by the CHP during that time.
The agency, along with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and all municipal police departments throughout the county, is taking part in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign.
“The days around the July 4th holiday are some of the deadliest on our roads due to drunk drivers,” according to an NHTSA statement. “Protect yourself and your neighbors … by always driving sober — on Independence Day and throughout the year.”
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