At least three people were killed in crashes and nearly 500 suspected DUI drivers were arrested over the New Year’s holiday in California, authorities said Thursday.
California Highway Patrol officers made 491 DUI arrests during the agency’s New Year’s Day maximum enforcement period, which began 6 p.m. Tuesday and ended at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, according to CHP.
“That is the equivalent of removing an impaired driver from the road nearly every four minutes,” CHP tweeted.
At least three deaths in the state were attributed to collisions during the 30-hour period, according to the agency.
CHP had warned motorists last weekend that officers would be out in full force starting New Year’s Eve in an effort to keep impaired and distracted drivers off the roads at the start of 2020.
The latest New Year’s enforcement period was significantly shorter than the previous one, which lasted 102 hours.
During that time, crashes killed at least 25 people and injured 270 others statewide, according to CHP. Officers also arrested 1,140 suspected impaired drivers.
