KTLA Channel 5 Los Angeles News reported recently that the California Highway Patrol averaged an arrest for driving under the influence (DUI) every five minutes in the first thirty hours of a heightened DUI patrol period that began on Christmas Eve.
According to officials with the California Highway Patrol, a heightened enforcement period for DUI checks began at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, December 24, the day known as Christmas Eve. By the morning of December 26, 318 people had been arrested in the first 30 hours of the heightened enforcement and patrol period. This was comparable to arrest counts for the first 30 hours of other holiday heightened enforcement periods throughout the year, such as Thanksgiving or Independence Day.
In 2017, 917 arrests were made over the Christmas holiday in total, and 16 people died in accidents during that same period on California roads. Full counts for this year’s holiday enforcement period, which ended at 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday, December 27, have not yet been released.
The California Highway Patrol released the following statement regarding the enforcement period. “The CHP wants to ensure your safety throughout this unprecedented year, We are hopeful that the public will do their part and remember to make safety a priority. The holiday season brings celebrations and time spent with family and friends, but unfortunately, they also result in a considerable loss of life on California’s roadways.”
