{"id":456807,"date":"2026-09-08T03:02:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T03:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/456807\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T03:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T03:02:13","slug":"chp-urges-safe-driving-as-labor-day-holiday-travel-wraps-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/456807\/","title":{"rendered":"CHP urges safe driving as Labor Day holiday travel wraps up"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 As Labor Day weekend came to a close, safety officials urged drivers returning home to stay alert, avoid impairment and make sure their vehicles were prepared for the trip.<\/p>\n

Despite higher gas prices, Anlleyn Venegas with AAA <\/a>said many travelers were expected to drive to their destinations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that most people are going to be driving to their destinations,\u201d Venegas said. \u201cEven with higher gas prices it\u2019s still more affordable to drive than to fly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KBAK\/KBFX\"<\/p>\n

The California Highway Patrol\u2019s Labor Day Holiday Enforcement Period began Friday evening and ended at 11:59 p.m. Monday. CHP officers statewide focused on impaired driving, while also watching for speeding, distracted driving and seatbelt violations. CHP\u2019s Labor Day enforcement release<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to see a lot of CHP out there on our freeways, on our highways, on our surface streets,\u201d CHP Bakersfield Public Information Officer Jorge Toro said. \u201cThe goal is to keep our roadways safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toro said motorists could still be stopped for violations other than impaired driving.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn’t mean you’re not going to get stopped for speeding or if you’re not wearing your seatbelt, if you’re on your cell phone,\u201d Toro said. \u201cWe’re still looking out for those things as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KBAK\/KBFX\"<\/p>\n

During last year\u2019s Labor Day Holiday Enforcement Period, CHP officers made more than 1,200 impaired-driving arrests statewide. Nearly 500 DUI-related crashes occurred during the same 78-hour reporting period, resulting in more than 270 injuries and eight deaths, according to CHP.<\/p>\n

The enforcement period coincided with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration\u2019s \u201cDrive Sober or Get Pulled Over\u201d campaign. NHTSA says one person is killed in a drunk-driving crash about every 44 minutes, totaling nearly 12,000 lives lost each year. <\/a><\/p>\n

\"KBAK\/KBFX\"<\/p>\n

Toro said drivers should remember impairment is not limited to alcohol.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people think about just alcohol, but it\u2019s more than that,\u201d Toro said. \u201cIt\u2019s also cannabis, it\u2019s illicit drugs, and even some over-the-counter medications.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said drivers need to be ready for sudden changes in traffic conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraffic is very fluid,\u201d Toro said. \u201cIt changes in a second and you need to be ready to take evasive action and always be a defensive driver when you’re in that driver’s seat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KBAK\/KBFX\"<\/p>\n

Venegas also warned against driving while tired.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrowsy driving is as dangerous as driving under the influence,\u201d Venegas said. \u201cSo we want to make sure that you’re well rested again. Want to make sure that you’re alert to avoid these crashes from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

For drivers heading home, Toro recommended checking their vehicles before leaving.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure that you have some jumper cables,\u201d Toro said. \u201cMake sure your tires have the correct amount of PSI in them. Make sure your liquids are topped off and make sure your phone has plenty of battery.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 As Labor Day weekend came to a close, safety officials urged drivers returning home…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":456808,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-456807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=456807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/456808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=456807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=456807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=456807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}