CHP Out in Full Force This Weekend

The wide open lanes of the 210 Freeway through La Cañada and La Crescenta can feel like the Autobahn at times, with drivers blazing by at speeds that leave you wondering if you're driving in reverse.

But with Memorial Day weekend almost here, speeders beware: the California Highway Patrol will be out in full force.

Memorial Day weekend is a Maximum Enforcement Period for the CHP, according to CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. To help keep the roadways safe throughout the holiday, CHP Area offices will deploy every available officer from 6 p.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Monday, the agency anncounced. And in addition to speeders, officers will be watching for unbuckled, drunk and distracted drivers.

“As the public heads out to enjoy quality time with their family and friends this holiday weekend, we want them to have fun and be safe,'' Farrow wrote in a prepared statement.

According to the CHP, Memorial Day weekend 2010 saw a significant drop  - 62 percent reduction - in the number of people killed in collisions on the state’s roadways. During last year’s holiday weekend, 17 people were killed in a crash in California and one third of those individuals were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, authorities said.

The CHP’s holiday enforcement effort coincides with the 2011 “Click It or Ticket” seat belt campaign, which continues nationwide through June 5.