California Highway Patrol will keep roads safe for Christmas
CHP to increase patrol officers - News 11's Wiley Jawhary reports
IMPERIAL, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The California Highway Patrol (CHP) says its gift this Christmas is providing safety on the roadways, that’s why drivers will notice more officers on patrol for the next two weeks.
The CHP says traffic increases heavily around this time of the year. 38 fatal crashes were reported last year on California highways throughout the holiday season.
Officer Arturo Platero with the CHP in El Centro says this year they are not taking any chances.
“With the increase of motorists traveling to and from locations, we feel like it is imperative we have a lot more officers out there to keep the roads safe,” he said.
The CHP's maximum enforcement period will start on Christmas Eve and it will continue through the weekend.
Last year around this time of the year, the CHP in Imperial reported 5 DUI arrests.
While excessive amounts of alcohol can translate into deadly car accidents, it can also lead to long term health effects.
Dr. Jonathan Scheiman the CEO of fitbiomcs says says overdoing alcohol can affect the brain and internal organs.
“If you’re perturbing beneficial microorganisms with biocides and alcohol or high fat high sugar diet, you are sort of preventing the gut from having its beneficial functions on our health,” he said.
The CHP says to call 9-11 if you see a driver who you suspect may be intoxicated. CHP also says you should maintain a safe distance and not intentionally follow the vehicle.
The El Centro Police Department (ECPD) will also hold a DUI checkpoint at an undisclosed location. The sobriety/driver license checkpoint will be in operation from Thursday at 9 p.m. to Friday at 2 a.m.
