Thanksgiving Maximum Enforcement Underway Across Coachella Valley: CHP

INDIO, CA — Drivers of area highways and unincorporated roads across Riverside County will be under the watchful eye of the California Highway Patrol officers starting Wednesday evening, CHP announced. Officers will ramp up operations to snare drunken and drug-impaired drivers, continuing the campaign for the duration of the Thanksgiving holiday period.

The agency will initiate its annual Thanksgiving "maximum enforcement period" beginning at 6 p.m., when all available officers will deploy to catch DUI suspects, speeders, and other traffic violators.

The enforcement period will conclude Sunday night.

"Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and friends, not to mourn a preventable tragedy," Commissioner Sean Duryee said. "Seat belts remain one of the most effective tools for saving lives on our roadways. Taking just two seconds to buckle up could be the decision that saves your life, or the life of someone you love."

Officers from the Riverside, Blythe, Beaumont, Indio and Temecula CHP stations will be on inland freeways, highways and unincorporated roads, looking to nab scofflaws.

During last year's Thanksgiving MEP, the CHP arrested just over 1,100 people statewide on suspicion of driving under the influence, compared to 1,047 during the previous Thanksgiving holiday period.

A total of 36 people died in collisions and other incidents on roads and highways under the CHP's jurisdiction over Thanksgiving weekend 2024. Fourteen victims were not wearing safety restraints, according to the agency.

Multiple municipal law enforcement agencies, countywide, as well as the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, will be conducting their own saturation patrols and DUI sobriety checkpoints.