CHP made 173 arrests in the Bay Area for impaired driving over Thanksgiving holiday

The CHP Golden Gate reported making 173 arrests over the long Thanksgiving weekend. The CHP Golden Gate reported making 173 arrests over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Photo: CHP Golden Gate / Twitter Photo: CHP Golden Gate / Twitter Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close CHP made 173 arrests in the Bay Area for impaired driving over Thanksgiving holiday 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The California Highway Patrol's Golden Gate Division, which polices drivers across the nine Bay Area counties, made a total of 173 arrests for impaired driving over the Thanksgiving holiday.

During the same five days between Wednesday and Sunday the agency also investigated two fatal collisions which resulted in three deaths, according to a tweet from the CHP's official Golden Gate Twitter account.

One of the deadly crashes, which occurred at 4:10 a.m. Sunday, involved a 21-year-old driver who is suspected of driving under the influence. The man was driving a Dodge Charger in San Jose on Highway 101 at a high rate of speed, according to the CHP. The driver hit the back of a Nissan Rogue after taking the connector ramp to I-280. The driver of the Nissan and a passenger in the back seat died.

A second accident involved a Redwood City man who crashed into a wall at the 25th Street off-ramp of southbound I-280 in San Francisco shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday. He was ejected from the car and died at the scene. Authorities believe he was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. According to the Chronicle, police suspect drugs or alcohol may have played a role in the accident.

"We continue to encourage people to drive [safely]," said Officer John Fransen, spokesperson with the CHP Golden Gate Division. "We know it's holiday season still, Thanksgiving all the way through New Years, and typically people celebrate more. We want people to know we're out in force. We're looking for impaired drivers. We encourage people to use designated drivers and ride-share services to get safely home if they’re using alcohol or other substances."

Last week, the CHP wrote in a press release that the organization would be implementing a Maximum Enforcement Period between 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27 and 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1.

"Officers will be actively looking for unsafe driving practices, including impaired or distracted driving, unsafe speed, and vehicle occupants who fail to buckle up," the CHP wrote.

CHP has yet to release the total number of drivers across the state arrested for being under the influence over the Thanksgiving MEP. However, the CHP's official Twitter reported that in the first 30 hours of the MEP, officers had made 314 DUI arrests and that eight people died in collisions within CHP jurisdiction.

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The MEP has now concluded but in the Bay Area, Fransen says a threat in the form of wet weather is still ongoing.

"We have upcoming wet weather," he tells SFGATE. "We encourage people to drive safely, and to give themselves more time to get to their destinations. Exercise caution and courtesy and drive safe."

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGate digital editor. Email: alyssa.pereira@sfgate.com | Twitter: @alyspereira

