Holiday weekend busy for CHP

Acorn Staff Writer


For the New Year holiday weekend, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) put as many officers as possible on the state’s highways, freeways and interstates.


Up to 80 percent of CHP officers were on patrol at any given time.


Every major holiday such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, and of course New Year’s Eve, gets this maximum workforce treatment.


"We’re looking for safe operation of the highway," said Sgt. Andrew Hernandez. The biggest problem on New Year’s isn’t speeding, he said, but drinking and driving. Officers diligently watched for swerving vehicles, speed variations and sporadic lane changes.


Hernandez’s unit of the CHP focused on the areas between the northern Ventura County line and Studio City where Universal Studios meets the 101 Freeway. It’s standard procedure to have a single officer per car during morning and afternoon shifts, but night patrols require two officers per car.


"At Christmas, over 200 people were arrested for drinking and driving," said Hernandez.


A statewide statistic tallied by the California Highway Patrol found 33 people killed in automobile accidents between 6 p.m. Dec. 22 and midnight Dec. 25 (a 78 hour period).


CHP units statewide also arrested 1,127 drunk drivers during that same time. Those statistics, however, don’t include similar arrests made by other law enforcement agencies.


Over New Year’s weekend from 6 p.m. on Fri., Dec. 29 through midnight Mon., Jan. 1, 1,307 drunk drivers were arrested by the CHP and 27 people were killed in statewide automobile accidents.


Most DUI arrests result from routine patrols.


"The Highway Patrol does not have that many checkpoints," said Wendy Moore, public affairs officer of the CHP.


Moore explained that during maximum enforcement periods such as New Year’s, there are no CHP checkpoints.


"Checkpoints are not to arrest drunk drivers," said Moore.


Instead, she said, they promote sober driving. When the CHP conducts checkpoints, the agency wants the public to know about them. The goal is to prevent people from drinking and driving, based on their knowledge that checkpoints are planned.


Patrols catch more drunk drivers than checkpoints because motorists are usually forewarned about checkpoints, according to Moore.





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