Thanksgiving break, for many, is a great time to spend with family and friends but to California Highway Patrol officers it's also a time when people drink heavily and then drive.
Toward that end, the CHP will have maximum enforcement patrols statewide from Wednesday night through Sunday night to catch drunk drivers.
"We look for fluctuation of speed — speed in general," said officer Amber McGinnis. "The way [drivers] maintain the car within the lanes, a lot of swerving, driving on the shoulder."
New numbers from the CHP show DUI arrests on the night before Thanksgiving went up this year. Thirty-six people were arrested Wednesday night, compared to 14 on the same day last year.
The trend seems to have spread statewide. According to the CHP, 188 people were arrested for DUI throughout California Wednesday night, compared to 156 last year.
"We're hoping that number goes down this year, which would mean hopefully to us that people are making better decisions," said officer Daniel Hill.
Officers will also focus on drivers not wearing seat belts, and helping stranded drivers on the side of the freeway.
