CHP makes 589 DUI arrests on Thursday, Friday

The California Highway Patrol has had a busy Fourth of July, making nearly 600 DUI arrests around the state and issuing more than 400 speeding citations along Interstate 80.

The CHP had made 589 DUI arrests as of 6 a.m. Friday, and 11 people had died on California roads, according to a tweet. Sixtyeight of the arrests and one fatality occurred in the CHP Valley Division, which covers the greater Sacramento area, the Highway Patrol said. Drugs and alcohol are not suspected as factors in the fatal crash, according to a news release.

The Fourth of July maximum enforcement effort started at 6 p.m. Wednesday and continues through midnight Sunday.

John Harris, spokesman for the CHP Valley Division, advises people to plan ahead and enjoy the four-day weekend responsibly, “taking the right precautions.”

There were 389 DUI arrests in the region during the 2018 Fourth of July crackdown period and 1,244 arrests in the 2017 period, according to Janelle Dunham, spokeswoman for the CHP. The length of the enforcement period depends on where the holiday falls during the week, with both the 2017 and 2019 enforcement periods being longer than the 2018 period, Dunham said.

The I-80 Challenge, an effort by the CHP Valley and Golden Gate divisions and the Nevada Highway Patrol to reduce speeding along I-80, coincides with the time period for the Fourth of July enforcement effort.

As of Friday morning, CHP's Valley Division had issued 92 warnings and 467 speeding citations as part of the crackdown, according to a tweet.

In 2017, 1,379 people were killed in speed-related crashes in California and Nevada, the news release said, which means nearly four people were killed every day. California had the second-highest number of speed-related fatalities in the nation, CHP Valley Division said.