CHP ‘maximum enforcement period’ begins ahead of Fourth of July holiday

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The excitement of this week’s national holiday brings with it a danger most don’t want to think about.

California Highway Patrol, however, is doing their part in reminding people of the dangers of drinking and driving on the Fourth of July.

“One of the most dangerous, one of the most busiest because everybody is going to the beach,” said CHP officer Salvador Castro. “Everybody is going to the fair, so traffic is backed up in Del Mar and all over San Diego County.”

Law enforcement officials have announced their “maximum enforcement period,” beginning Wednesday at 6:01 a.m. and running through Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

“Last year we had over 1200 DUI arrests in the state of California. It seems we always have to preach the message ‘don’t drink and drive,’ but we always have to repeat it because of all the crashes that we see and all the fatals that we see,” said Castro

Even with the availability of Uber, Lyft, taxis and light rail, CHP officers say their arrest stats jump and they will be on the hunt for drunk drivers, so “don’t even think about it.”

“It’s not only family and friends that are impacted but the entire community is impacted by someone’s choice,” said Georgina Avilez from a non-profit organization called Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD.

Avilez said if people knew what they were about to do to a family they would never get behind the wheel drunk.

“We don’t call them accidents, we call them crashes because, again, this is 100% preventable,” Avilez continued.

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