Calaveras County, CA – The Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) is underway on Mother Lode highways for the holiday weekend.
The CHP Christmas MEP will run through 11:59 p.m. on Monday. Officers patrolling the highways will be looking for speeders, distracted drivers and a top priority – drunk drivers. CHP spokesperson Toby Butzler states, “That is the number one thing we try to get off the roads, we’re looking for drunk drivers. People like to celebrate, but it’s real easy, designate a driver or stay where you’re at.”
During this same time last year, 35 people died on state roadways with twelve of them not wearing seat belts. Additionally, there were 700 arrests for driving under the influence. Calling impaired driving an immediate crisis in the U.S., the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 35,092 people were killed in crashes in 2015, ending a five-decade trend of declining fatalities in the nation.
Written by Tracey Petersen.
Sign up for our Breaking News Alerts and the myMotherLode.com Daily Newsletters by clicking here. Report breaking news, traffic or weather to our News Hotline (209) 532-6397. Send Mother Lode News Story photos to news@clarkebroadcasting.com.
For Caltrans traffic information for Highway’s 4, 49, 59, 108, and 120 plus a view of traffic on other Mother Lode roads and gas prices click on “Traffic” or keyword: traffic For an overview of extreme weather news stories go here.