SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol is ramping up safety efforts by launching its annual Thanksgiving Maximum Effort Period (MEP).
The MEP is a statewide effort during which more officers will be out on patrol from 6:01 p.m. Wednesday to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1.
CHP Officer Ruben Jones says the two highest-volume travel periods are the night before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday.
The day before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel days of the year, with families reuniting. While it’s a time for celebration, it also creates dangerous road conditions.
"We want everybody to be safe. We want them to buckle up, drive sober, do not drive distracted and refrain from speeding," said Jones with CHP's Valley Division.
He adds an uptick in drunk driving occurs during Thanksgiving.
"[It's] when the festivities start that we see the increase in the intake of alcohol and the increase in that poor decision to get behind the wheel and drive impaired," Jones said.
Last year, 27 people died in car accidents over the holiday weekend, according to CHP, and 1,047 DUI arrests were made across the state during the same period.
