(KTXL) — Within the first 30 hours of the California Highway Patrol’s Thanksgiving maximum enforcement period, there have been hundreds of arrests and eight deaths.
Starting Wednesday at 6 p.m., CHP officers across the state were on the lookout for unsafe driving. Thirty hours later, 314 DUI arrests were made and at least eight people were killed in crashes.
“As millions of motorists head out for the Thanksgiving holiday, the (CHP) is prepared for one of the busiest travel weekends in America,” said CHP spokesperson Jaime Coffee in a statement. “Unfortunately, in the past, Thanksgiving has also been one of the deadlier holidays on our roadways.”
During last year’s Thanksgiving enforcement period, 931 were arrested on suspicion of DUI and 59 people were killed.
The maximum enforcement period will continue through Sunday at midnight.