The Times of San Diego reports that the California Highway Patrol wrapped up its 2022 holiday season DUI crackdown or Maximum Enforcement Period on Monday.
The CHP and other law enforcement agencies across the state participated in the annual ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ program funded by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Maximum Enforcement Period of the New Year’s holiday weekend began on Friday, January 30, at 6:00 p.m. and continued until early Monday.
The goal of the CHP’s Maximum Enforcement Period was to make our highways and streets as safe as possible by removing motorists suspected of driving while intoxicated. Officers were also on the lookout for drivers who were speeding, committing other traffic violations, or driving without a license.
California Highway Patrol Chief Commissioner Amanda Ray issued a statement saying,
“Every year, people’s lives are impacted forever by making a decision to get behind the wheel while under the influence, Commissioner Ray said. “Driving impaired is never worth it, and certainly not the way to ring in the New Year. Always designate a sober driver.
While the total number of arrests for the last weekend of 2022 has not yet been released, from 2021 to 2022, during the New Year’s Maximum Enforcement Period, CHP officers made 495 arrests across California. This figure was a significant decrease from the number of arrests for the New Year’s weekend of 2020 to 2021, of 709 total arrests.
In the state of California, when someone is convicted of even a first-time DUI offense, there is an average cost of more than $13,000 in terms of bail penalties, court costs, and other penalties.
