New Year's revelers are reminded to designate a non-drinking driver before heading out to celebrations.
The California Highway Patrol's New Year's maximum enforcement period began at 6 this evening and will continue through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
The increased enforcement effort follows a similar one during the recent Christmas holiday. During that 102-hour reporting period in California, 39 people were killed in collisions and CHP officers arrested 1,170 drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to a CHP news release.
Over the last New Year's holiday, 25 people were killed in collisions in California. The majority of those who died within the CHP's jurisdiction were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, officials said. CHP officers also made more than 1,200 arrests for driving under the influence.
The CHP and other area law enforcement agencies will be conducting sobriety checkpoints and stepped-up patrols targeting drunk and drugged drivers.
Officials encourage the public to report drivers who they suspect are under the influence. When calling 911, be prepared to provide a description of the vehicle, including a license plate number, the location and the vehicle's direction of travel.









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