SACRAMENTO, Calif. – With summer around
the corner, Memorial Day weekend traffic will likely increase on California
roadways. In the interest of traffic
safety, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will conduct a Maximum Enforcement
Period (MEP).
Seat
belt usage is the focus of the Memorial Day MEP, which will run from 6 p.m. on
Friday, May
24, to 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 27.
During the MEP, CHP officers will be out in force throughout California
looking for traffic safety violations and making efforts to educate motorists
to ensure a safe holiday. Officers will
also be watching carefully for distracted drivers and those who are impaired by
drugs or alcohol.
“One
of the simplest things a person can do to stay safe is to buckle up,” said CHP
Commissioner Warren Stanley. “Not only does
the law require vehicle occupants to wear a seat belt, but it helps protect
against injury or death.”
Nearly
half (46 percent) of all vehicle occupants killed in collisions within CHP
jurisdiction last Memorial Day weekend were unrestrained. In all, 37 people died in crashes during the 78-hour
holiday enforcement effort in California.
Additionally, CHP officers made 1,060 arrests in California for driving
under the influence.
Motorists
are also reminded to protect child passengers by placing them in age-appropriate
restraint devices, whether a safety seat or booster seat. The law requires that children under age eight
ride in the back seat and that children under age two are secured in a
rear-facing child passenger safety seat.
In
addition to the MEP, the CHP will take part in the nationwide “Click It or
Ticket” campaign led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
that will emphasize seat belt use from May 20-June 2. According to NHTSA, in 2017 there were more
than 10,000 unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes
nationwide.
The
mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and
Security.
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