Sonora, CA – While speeding garnered the most citations during the CHP’s Thanksgiving MEP, another crime that can have serious consequences stood out in the Mother Lode.
The CHP reports that 1,500 citations were issued by more than 500 officers from its Northern Division that were patrolling state highways over the MEP, running from 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27, to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 1st. The tickets ranged from not wearing seatbelts to using cell phones or drinking and driving. The majority, over 1,000, were related to speeding, one of the leading contributors to traffic collisions, according to the CHP. That was also the case statewide, with more than 17,500 speeding citations issued for the Thanksgiving MEP.
In the Mother Lode, DUI was a concern, with the Sonora Unit of the CHP making five arrests and the San Andreas Unit making four. Statewide, there were 1,113 DUI arrests. The good news is that there were no fatal crashes in Tuolumne or Calaveras counties. Across the state, there were 23 fatal crashes, down from 27 in 2023.
With the Christmas MEP right around the corner, the CHP reminds motorists “to avoid hefty fines, vehicle impounds, and jail time by not drinking and driving.”
Written by Tracey Petersen.
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