CHP to step up enforcement during holiday

The California Highway Patrol will have all available officers on patrol during the Thanksgiving holiday as part of a statewide Maximum Enforcement Period.

The MEP begins at 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday and continues through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, a CHP press release stated.

During the MEP, CHP officers will educate motorists and enforce traffic safety laws throughout the state to ensure everyone has a safe holiday.

Officers will also be actively looking for unsafe driving practices, including seat belt violations, speed, distracted driving and, of course, signs of driving impairment, CHP reported.

In 2017, the Automobile Club of Southern California estimated 5.37 million Californians were planning to travel by motor vehicle Thanksgiving weekend, a figure that is likely to increase this year, CHP reported.

Unfortunately, 2017 saw a 61 percent increase in fatalities during the same time period in 2016, from 31 to 50 people killed as a result of collisions within CHP’s jurisdiction across the state, CHP reported.

According to CHP’s 2017 Thanksgiving MEP data, among the 46 people killed statewide in collisions within CHP jurisdiction, 59 percent of those, or 27 people, were not wearing a seat belt. Research continues to show that wearing a seat belt is one of the simplest things people can do to stay safe when traveling in a vehicle.