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CHP on high alert for drunk drivers over Memorial Day Weekend

Law enforcement officers throughout San Diego County will be on the lookout Friday and over Memorial Day weekend -- one of the busiest travel weekends of the year -- for drunken and drugged drivers...

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Law enforcement officers throughout San Diego County will be on the lookout Friday and over Memorial Day weekend -- one of the busiest travel weekends of the year -- for drunken and drugged drivers, motorists not wearing seat belts and those without valid licenses.

California Highway Patrol officers in San Diego County and throughout the state will begin their annual "Memorial Day Maximum Enforcement Period" at 6:01 p.m. Until 11:59 p.m. Monday, they plan to focus on motorists violating seat belt regulations, driving while distracted, or driving under the influence of drugs, according to a CHP statement.

CHP officers statewide arrested 1,125 suspected drunken drivers during last years maximum enforcement period.

San Diego police are planning an overnight checkpoint at an undisclosed location in the city. Officers will be screening drivers for signs of alcohol or drug impairment and for proper licensing from 11 p.m. Friday until 3 a.m. Saturday, according to a SDPD statement.

In Escondido, police officers participating in the national "Click It or Ticket" campaign will be on the lookout for seat belt scofflaws over the holiday weekend and during the upcoming week, authorities said.

"Hundreds of thousands of citizens will be traveling this Memorial Day weekend, as well as throughout the summer vacation season," California Office of Traffic Safety Director Rhonda Craft said. "We want to make sure that people are buckling up to keep themselves and their families safe. It is the greatest defense in a vehicle crash."

The CHP is also participating in the Click It or Ticket campaign.

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