SACRAMENTO, Calif. – As millions of people venture out for the Thanksgiving holiday, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is preparing for one of the busiest travel weekends in the nation.
To help motorists arrive at their destinations safely, the CHP will implement a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) and deploy all available officers through the holiday weekend. The MEP begins at 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23, and continues through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 27.
“As with every holiday, the CHP will work to keep motorists safe as they travel to gatherings with friends and family,” said Commissioner Amanda Ray. “Our officers will be on patrol to take enforcement action as necessary and to provide assistance to motorists who are stranded or in need of help on the side of the road.”
During the MEP, CHP officers will be working to assist and educate motorists and enforce traffic safety laws throughout the state, actively looking for unsafe driving behaviors, including impaired or distracted driving, unsafe speed, and people not wearing seat belts.
According to the CHP’s data, 42 people, including 16 pedestrians and one bicyclist, were killed in crashes in CHP’s jurisdiction during the 2021 Thanksgiving holiday weekend. CHP officers issued more than 5,600 citations for speed and seat belt violations. Additionally, CHP officers made 1,033 arrests for driving under the influence during the four-day period.
“Enjoy your Thanksgiving festivities, but please celebrate responsibly, wear your seat belt, and always designate a sober, nondrinking driver,” said Commissioner Ray.
The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.
AAA Expects Over 7 Million Californians to Travel This Thanksgiving
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – This holiday season is going to be one of the busiest in recent history, according to AAA data.
Nearly 55 million people are expected to travel for Thanksgiving. That’s an increase of 1.5 percent over 2021 and 98 percent of pre-pandemic travel volume. Of those travelers, more than 7.3 million are estimated to come from California.
Air travel is predicted to see the greatest growth in travelers. About 4.5 million people are flying to their Thanksgiving destination, a nearly 8 percent increase over 2021. And nearly 49 million people are expected to travel by car. — full story
