Sonora, CA – To get ahead of the summer traffic surge on the state’s highways, the CHP is holding a DUI-focused Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) this weekend.
The MEP begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 20, and runs through 6 a.m. Sunday, June 21. Officers will be patrolling the highways statewide to crack down on impaired drivers over the next 12 hours. CHP Sonora Unit spokesperson Officer Steve Machado noted, “Weekend nights and early mornings remain among the most dangerous times for impaired-driving crashes. Increased summer travel, social gatherings, and celebrations can further heighten the risk.” Machado continued, “Although our focus is on impaired drivers, we will continue to enforce all vehicle code violations in an effort to stop preventable crashes from occurring.”
As we reported here in May, a speeding MEP was held in April with the Sonora Unit of the CHP issuing 102 citations for various vehicle code violations. Statewide, more than 200 drivers were cited for exceeding 100 mph. The most recent 12-hour DUI-focused MEP, which took place in October 2025, resulted in over 500 DUI arrests around the state. Officers also issued about 1,950 speeding tickets, including nearly 100 charges for drivers exceeding 100 mph, and had over 8,000 enforcement encounters.
Last year, CHP officers conducted 122 sobriety checkpoints statewide, screening more than 45,000 vehicles and arresting 172 impaired drivers. In the first quarter of 2026, officers screened nearly 3,400 vehicles and arrested 11 drivers for DUI. Regarding the summer traffic surge, CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee stated, “Summer brings more people onto California’s roadways, increasing the risks of impaired driving. Impaired driving continues to claim hundreds of lives in California each year and forever changes countless others. These tragedies are entirely preventable. Plan ahead, never drive impaired, and help us keep California’s roads safe. CHP officers will be out in force, removing impaired drivers from our roads and helping ensure everyone reaches their destination safely.”
According to the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, between 2023 and 2025, DUI-related collisions in California resulted in an average of more than 800 deaths and almost 20,000 injuries. Those numbers reveal that impaired driving continues to be a major public safety issue across the country. According to the National Highway Safety Administration, impaired drivers are responsible for around 30% of highway fatalities nationally, making them one of the major causes of avoidable traffic deaths.
