Nineteen people were killed in traffic accidents on freeways statewide over Memorial Day weekend, and three of them died in Los Angeles County, according to the California Highway Patrol.
That’s up from 15 drivers who lost their lives on highways throughout the state last year and the two who were killed locally, according to the CHP tally.
In L.A County, 254 people were arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence between Friday and Monday by the CHP, which patrols freeways and streets in unincorporated areas.
That is an increase from the 245 who were taken into custody from the same time last year, the release read.
In Orange County, CHP officers arrested 62 suspected drunken drivers between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. today, up 11 from last year, according to the CHP. No fatalities were reported by law enforcement officers in Orange County either year.
Statewide, 1,111 alleged drunken drivers were arrested by CHP officers over the holiday weekend, down from 1,133 in 2013.
Meanwhile, the countywide Avoid the 100 anti-DUI task force announced that 499 motorists were arrested on suspicion of DUI from 12:01 a.m. Friday through midnight Sunday, compared to 529 DUI arrests during the same period last year.
The 100 law enforcement agencies participating in the crackdown have been setting up checkpoints and conducting anti-DUI saturation patrols and will collect arrest data throughout the holiday weekend, according to the task force, of which the CHP is a participant.
