Planning on driving to a beach, park, ball game or virtually
anywhere else this Fourth of July weekend? If so, you will be among
hundreds of thousands of others doing the same thing, according to
the California Highway Patrol.
Planning on driving to a beach, park, ball game or virtually anywhere else this Fourth of July weekend? If so, you will be among hundreds of thousands of others doing the same thing, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Or, you can stay at home and enjoy Fourth of July fun Saturday and Sunday here in Morgan Hill. A full list of July 4 related activities is on page A8 of today’s edition.
“Since the 4th comes on a Sunday this year, the holiday will extend through Monday, which means there’s even more time for a crash to happen,” said Capt. Bob Davies, commander of the Hollister-Gilroy CHP Office. “The summer is in full swing, and everyone wants to squeeze in as much fun as possible. Traffic volumes will be high, and unfortunately so is the potential for collisions.”
The so-called “freeway series” of Giants-A’s baseball games at San Francisco’s SBC Park will add considerably to the Bay Area’s already packed holiday-weekend traffic, the CHP reports. So will the Alameda County Fair in the East Bay.
In the South Bay, the CHP expects highways 101, 17 and 280 to be jammed with people heading to the beaches of Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties and the parks in south Santa Clara County and the San Francisco Peninsula.
And in neighboring San Benito County, upwards of 100,000 revelers are expected to take part in the Hollister Independence Rally today through Saturday. Motorcyclists from throughout the Western United States and even further will be on hand for the festivities that include musical entertainment.
As on any holiday weekend, police drunk drivers to be a prevalent danger, and agencies around the region are preparing a rigorous effort to catch them.
The well known “Avoid” anti-DUI campaign – “Avoid the 13” in Santa Clara County – has been extended to include the 125 police agencies in the greater Bay Area, according to the CHP.
Police have hired small airplanes to pull sky banners which read “Avoid the 125 – Don’t drink and drive!”
Last year 45 people died in crashes during the 78-hour July 4th holiday. In addition, CHP Officers made 1,497 DUI arrests during that same period.
This year every available CHP Officer will be on the road during the “Maximum Enforcement Period”, which begins at 6:01 tonight and ends at midnight on Monday, July 5.
“We want people to think safety whenever they get behind the wheel this summer. Common sense and courtesy will go a long way toward achieving that goal, but if a driver chooses to ignore our suggestions, we’ll be there to remind him or her,” Capt. Davies said.
