Millions of people will take to the roads this weekend for what is unofficially the last weekend of summer.
And the Manteca Police Department is urging those travelers to make sure that they do so safely – and cautioning that if they imbibe in anything that may be intoxicating, not to climb behind the wheel and jeopardize their lives and the lives of others that they’re sharing the roadway with.
“Driving impaired is risky and puts yourself and others around you in serious danger,” Manteca Police Operations Lieutenant Paul Carmona said. “If you are taking a road trip over the next few weeks, make good choices and drive like your closest friends and family are in the cars around you.”
In 2019, the California Highway Patrol made 1,000arrests for driving under the influence over Labor Day weekend, but even the proactive saturation of California’s shared roadways didn’t prevent 45 people from dying throughout the state in crashes over the 78-hour weekend enforcement period.
And the Manteca Police has been doing its part to protect motorists during the busy end-of-summer holiday travel season for almost two weeks.
There have been additional officers on patrol in Manteca looking drivers under the influence since Aug. 18, and those additional positions will remain in place through the end of the Labor Day weekend – funded as part of a national program aimed at removing those jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of the general public.
Driving under the influence, according to the Manteca Police, includes far more than simply having too much to drink. The use of prescription medications, cannabis, and even over-the-counter medications can all impair a person’s ability to operate a motor vehicle, and officers are trained in ways to determine those that are impaired but haven’t consumed any alcoholic beverages.
According to the American Automobile Association’s California office, travel bookings through the organization are up 11 percent from where they were in 2019 – before the pandemic crippled people’s plans – and roadway travel throughout the state is expected to be heavy over the weekend.
Funding for the overtime necessary to provide additional patrols over the last two weeks and through the weekend is being provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety – through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
