The California Highway Patrol will partner with state patrols in five other states to form the Western States Traffic Safety Coalition to enforce drug-impaired driving during Labor Day weekend.
From 6 p.m. Friday to 11:59 a.m. Monday, the CHP will deploy officers for its “Maximum Enforcement Period.” During the Labor Day weekend MEP in 2018, 36 people were killed on California Roads and 1,084 were arrested for DUI, according to a news release.
The CHP has increased training efforts to detect impaired drivers since the legalization of recreational cannabis. California has the highest number of drug recognition expert trained personnel, which will be on duty throughout the state this weekend, authorities said.
“Whatever causes impairment makes you an unsafe driver,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanely said in a statement. “High visibility enforcement in these six states will help create a general deterrence and promote safer driving.”
State patrols in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington will work in partnership with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration to enforce driving under the influence.
