CHP Launches 30-Hour New Year’s Enforcement After Nearly 300 DUI Arrests During Christmas Crackdown

The California Highway Patrol begins its New Year’s “Maximum Enforcement Period” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, launching a 30–hour statewide crackdown that follows a Christmas deployment in which officers made nearly 300 DUI arrests in the same short time span. 

The New Year’s operation, running through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, brings “all hands on deck,” with every available officer assigned to saturation patrols on freeways and unincorporated roads. 

The CHP is targeting impaired driving, speeding, aggressive driving and seat belt violations, with Commissioner Sean Duryee urging motorists to make “responsible choices behind the wheel.” 

The intensity of the effort mirrors the recently concluded Christmas enforcement period, which ran Dec. 24–25. During that 30–hour window, officers arrested 297 suspected impaired drivers — roughly one every six minutes — and reported eight fatalities from six crashes. 

CHP recorded 2,744 citations, including 1,385 for speeding and 94 for drivers traveling more than 100 mph, and reported 5,450 total enforcement actions statewide. Severe winter weather, including snow, flooding and mudslides, affected travel conditions throughout the period. 

Duryee said the Christmas findings highlight the consequences of dangerous driving. 

“Every instance of speeding or reckless driving carries the potential for life–changing consequences,” he said. “No destination is worth risking a life.” 

Arrest totals during the New Year’s MEP have varied sharply in recent years depending on the length of the enforcement window. Last year’s 30–hour period resulted in 481 arrests and 10 fatalities. 

Two years ago, when the holiday fell on a long weekend and the enforcement period stretched to 78 hours, officers made 892 arrests. 

“We’re entering a New Year, but our message stays the same,” Duryee said in a Dec. 29 statement. “Driving under the influence increases the risks on our roads, raises the chance of a crash and puts lives in danger.”