According to a recent report by KGET via MSN News, California Highway Patrol officers from the agency’s Bakersfield Division arrested 11 people during the New Year’s weekend Maximum Enforcement Period.
The CHP flooded California freeways and roads over the past weekend, looking for motorists who were not just intoxicated by drugs or alcohol but also those who were distracted, on their phone, not wearing a seatbelt, and those who were speeding. All of this was a part of the agency’s annual Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) to help reduce the number of crashes at a time of the year when they are the highest.
“What are the potential negative consequences of choosing to drive while impaired? It can range anywhere from being inconvenienced, the embarrassment of being arrested, having to deal with all of the financial fallout,” CHP Officer Ross Lee said.
Officer Lee stressed that while the inconvenience, embarrassment, or cost may be unpleasant to deal with when you are charged with a DUI, those things are nothing compared to the potentially deadly consequences of driving while intoxicated.
“What we really like to highlight and talk to people about is the possibility that you can hurt yourself or somebody else,” Officer Lee continued. “We remind people to slow down, put down the distractions, and always designate a sober driver.”
