LOS ANGELES—Despite advocating for safer behavior during the Independence Day weekend, Los Angeles County found this year’s weekend to be more dangerous than last year.
On July 1, the California Highway Patrol posted a release advising those celebrating the Fourth of July to “declare [their] independence†by having a safer behavior towards the holiday. The release stated that they would be enforcing the “Independence Day Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) starting on Thursday, July 3 at 6:00 p.m. and ending at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 6.
According to ABC7-Los Angeles, the enforcement period noted that 15 people were killed within the first 30 hours of the holiday weekend, which already passed last years nine deaths. Forty percent of the deaths were caused by the lack of using a seat belt. They also reported that the CHP made 747 DUI arrests, with more than 150 of them being in Los Angeles County.
Three of the deaths occurred in Los Angeles, which passed the one death that occurred during last year’s Independence Day weekend.
The CHP acknowledged last year’s Independence Day weekend records claiming “56 people were killed in collisions throughout California. Among those killed within CHP jurisdiction, nearly 70 percent were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.†More than 1,500 of the arrests made by the CHP were for driving under the influence.
