California Highway Patrol officers will increase patrols Friday night, Oct. 2, including on roads through Contra Costa County, during a statewide enforcement effort targeting impaired drivers.

The 12-hour Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) runs from 6 p.m. Friday through 5:59 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, according to a CHP press release published Thursday, Oct. 1. The CHP Contra Costa Area's jurisdiction includes Interstate 680, Interstate 80, state routes 4, 24 and 242, and unincorporated county roads. I-680 runs through Walnut Creek.

Last October's enforcement results

During last October's MEP, held over Halloween weekend, CHP officers statewide arrested more than 500 impaired drivers. They also issued nearly 2,000 speeding citations. Ninety-six of those were for drivers going faster than 100 mph.

Statewide, impaired driving contributed to an average of nearly 800 fatal crashes per year from 2022 through 2024, according to the CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. In the CHP Contra Costa Area's jurisdiction alone, nine people were killed and 170 were injured in impaired-driving crashes during a one-year period ending Sept. 30, 2021, according to a 2023 CHP grant announcement. More recent local figures were not available.

Commissioner's warning

CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said in the press release that "impaired driving will not be tolerated on California roads. It is preventable, dangerous and puts every person nearby at risk."

Duryee said officers of every rank will work to identify and remove impaired drivers during the enforcement period. The agency urged residents to designate a sober driver, use public transportation or arrange a rideshare before heading out.

How to report a suspected impaired driver

See something? Call 911.

The CHP asks callers to provide the vehicle's make, model, license plate number and direction of travel. Signs of impairment include driving unusually slowly, swerving between lanes or nearly hitting obstacles.

The enforcement period ends at 5:59 a.m. Saturday.