More than 20 traffic deaths occurred in California Highway Patrol’s jurisdiction over the Christmas holiday last year. This year is different.
Officer Mike Carrillo is the public information officer for the CHP’s Valley Division. He told NSPR that he believed there were only five fatalities within the CHP’s jurisdiction this year.
“It was a lot less than there was last year … which means that people are getting the message,” Carrillo said.
That message comes partly in the form of a statewide “Maximum Enforcement Period,” which lasted between Christmas Eve and Christmas night. The enforcement period was aimed at ensuring the safety of those celebrating the holiday.
“It's just good old fashioned police work,” Carrillo said, “putting more bodies out there on the roadway to just try to provide more safety for the general public and try to reduce the number of fatalities out there.”
CHP says over the 32 hour period, the agency made 308 DUI arrests and 3,835 citations for things like speeding and seat belt violations.
It also boasts 7,622 enforcement actions, which are instances of contact between officers and citizens.
“It could be as little as a verbal warning to writing a traffic citation to that individual,” Carrillo said, “and it can lead all the way up to an arrest.”
The CHP uses these periods each Christmas but also all other major holidays.
People can expect another enforcement period over the New Year holiday.
