CHP to conduct 'maximum enforcement' campaign during Labor Day holiday

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) says it will conduct a maximum enforcement campaign during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The idea behind the campaign is to help promote safe driving and other safety practices on roadways throughout California.

Over the Labor Day holiday weekend, CHP patrol officers will be looking for speeders, drivers who are impaired and other road-based malfeasance.

"Alcohol-and drug-impaired driving continues to be a leading cause of traffic fatalities and injuries in California, and the moment an impaired driver gets behind the wheel, they put themselves and every other person on the road in great danger," Amanda Ray, the commissioner of the CHP, said in a statement. "The CHP is committed to enforcement and non-enforcement strategies, including education and community engagement, to ensure the highest level of safety for everyone traveling throughout California during the holiday."

Last year, the CHP said it made over 900 arrests for traffic-related crimes during the Labor Day holiday. Despite this, nearly three dozen people died during that holiday weekend, the CHP said.

"If choosing to travel, please be mindful of the larger-than-normal holiday traffic and be patient, drive at a safe and legal speed, put away all distractions, make sure everyone in your vehicle is buckled up and never drive impaired," a CHP spokesperson said.

The maximum enforcement campaign began on Friday and lasts through the evening of Labor Day.