More People Drove Drunk on Thanksgiving

Aside from time with family, traffic and ceaseless commentary on rising gas prices, Thanksgiving road trips mean an enforced police presence to keep an eye on motorists.

California Highway Patrol in Los Angeles County have their work cut out for them – the state’s smallest CHP division has the most drivers, and accounts for nearly a quarter of the state’s holiday road infractions.

This year’s number of Thanksgiving travel issues remained the same, with statewide and local figures nearly cancelling each other out, according to Officer Ed Jacobs of CHP.

DUI arrests in Los Angeles County increased 10 percent from those during last year’s Thanksgiving weekend, but California’s DUI arrests decreased 7 percent from 2010.

Only 72 fewer Californians were arrested for driving under the influence between Wednesday, Nov. 24 and Saturday, Nov. 26 as compared to the same time last year.

This time frame, the Thanksgiving Maximum Enforcement Period, continues through Sunday, Nov. 27.

So far this holiday weekend, 903 California drivers have been arrested and 14 people have died on California roads – up three from the same period in 2010.

Last year, 21 Californians died and 1,546 were arrested for driving under the influence during the Thanksgiving weekend, a 6 percent increase from the year before, according to CHP.

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