The California Highway Patrol is asking motorists to help make the state’s roads safer by planning ahead for all holiday travel.
The Thanksgiving holiday driving period runs Nov. 26 to 30. During that time, the CHP will employ maximum enforcement, putting every available officer on the road, according to a press release from CHP officials.
Capt. Jeff Sgobba of the Santa Barbara area CHP said in the release that motorists should be well rested when they start and allow extra time in case of congested traffic.
“Drive safe, drive sober, and wear your seat belt,” Sgobba said.
During the Thanksgiving period last year, there were 4,337 collisions in California, claiming 41 lives. More than half of the vehicle occupants killed were involved in alcohol-related collisions, according to CHP reports.
Also during the 2007 Thanksgiving holiday, CHP officers arrested 1,628 people for driving under the influence. That statistic, however, is a 2.5 percent decrease from the 2006 Thanksgiving holiday, indicating that the CHP’s message might be getting out to more drivers.
Thanksgiving is also an Operation Combined Accident Reduction Effort (CARE) holiday. Operation CARE is a joint program of the nation’s highway patrols that promotes safe driving on interstate highways during holidays. CARE highways in California include Interstates 80, 40, 15, and 5.
“Thanksgiving is a time for us all to be thankful for what we have. If fewer people lose their lives on our roads and highways, I will have something else to be truly thankful for,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in the release.
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 3, 2008.