CHP will be out this holiday

If you are planning on hitting the road for Thanksgiving, you might have plenty of company.

California Highway Patrol officers will be out in full force from 6 p.m. tonight until midnight on Sunday, during the agency's maximum enforcement period.

"We want everyone to enjoy Thanksgiving," said Williams CHP Public Affairs Officer John Waggoner. "But we want them to get to their destinations safely."

This year the CHP will mount a focused campaign against safety belt violators during the Thanksgiving holiday.

"Wearing a seat belt is the easiest and quickest way to save a life" said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow, in a statement. "It takes two seconds to buckle up."

Thirty-three people were killed on California roadways during the Thanksgiving holiday last year. Among the 20 vehicle occupants killed in CHP jurisdiction, 35 percent were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

Last week, a Redding man was killed after the vehicle he was riding in rolled into an irrigation ditch along Intestate 5, north of Arbuckle.

Lawrence Gerard, 77, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said. The driver, his stepson, and Gerard's wife, both wearing seat belts, survived the crash with only minor injuries.

"We don't want a repeat of what happened," Waggoner said. "The best way to survive a crash is to buckle up."

In addition to keeping an eye out for vehicle occupants without seat belts, CHP officers will be especially watchful during the period for speeding, drivers talking on cell phones and driving impaired.

"If you are going to drink, make sure you have a designated driver," Waggoner said.

Thanksgiving is also an Operation CARE (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) holiday. Operation CARE is a joint program of the nation's highway patrols that places special safety emphasis on interstate highways during holiday periods. CARE highways in California include Interstates 80, 40, 15 and 5 (Bakersfield north to the Oregon line).

"Travelers should plan ahead and allow plenty of time to get to their destination," Waggoner said. "Our goal is to keep fatalities to a minimum."

THANKSGIVING CLOSURES

COLUSA COUNTY
• County offices will be closed Thursday and Friday
• Sheriff’s Department administrative office will be closed Thursday and Friday
For emergencies, call 911.
COLUSA
• City Hall will be closed Thursday and Friday
• Police Department administrative office will be closed Thursday and Friday
For emergencies, call 911.
WILLIAMS
• City Hall will be closed Thursday and Friday
• Police Department and administrative office will be closed Thursday and Friday
For emergencies, call 911.

Banks
• Will be closed Thursday
Post Office
• Will be closed Thursday
Tri-County Newspapers
• Office will be closed Thursday and Friday

Contact Susan Meeker at 458-2121 or smeeker@tcnpress.com.