CHP to step up enforcement on July 4


Thursday, June 28, 2007 12:27 AM PDT

The California Highway Patrol will assign extra officers to patrol county roadways during a Maximum Enforcement Period from 6 p.m. July 3 through midnight July 4.

“We’ve never had a major holiday that didn’t include a traffic fatality in California. We’re hoping to make this a first,” said Captain Mark Rasmussen, commander of Napa CHP Area Office.

The last comparable Maximum Enforcement Period was organized on July 4 in 2001, when eight people were killed on California roads.

The CHP has reminded motorists to not speed or drink and drive. Suspected drunk drivers should be reported to 911 with a description of the vehicle and its location.