CHP comes out in force for Halloween crackdown
Ghosts, goblins and ghouls may have free rein on Halloween — but there will be no leeway for drunken or drug-impaired drivers today in the San Gorgonio Pass and other parts of Riverside County, where the California Highway Patrol will be out in force.
The CHP’s San Gorgonio Pass office will be deploying all available personnel as part of an “enhanced enforcement” campaign to crack down on unsafe drivers, according to Pass Area Commander Capt. Mike Alvarez.
“Last year, 29 people were killed in car crashes across California in the days surrounding Halloween,” Alvarez said. “Additionally, impaired drivers caused 252 collisions across the state. Recognizing that our community’s children will be out trick-or-treating … the San Gorgonio Pass CHP wants to improve the safety of both motorists and pedestrians.”
According to the captain, officers will be intensifying patrols on Interstate 10, as well as state Routes 60, 74, 79, 243 and 371 during the campaign.
Alvarez said that targeted patrols will also focus on unincorporated roads in the Banning Pass, Hemet and San Jacinto valleys — areas where problems have been known to occur.
“The goal … is to decrease the number of traffic collisions that (we have) experienced in past years,” he said.
Alvarez recommended that residents take a look at a new CHP video about traffic safety awareness, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/CHPSanGorgonioPass/ .
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