Memorial Day weekend 2012: Traffic-related deaths, DUIs on decline
No traffic-related deaths were reported in Los Angeles County during the first 36 hours of Memorial Day weekend, the California Highway Patrol said.
Although the statewide reporting period — which began at 6:01 p.m. Friday — doesn't end until 11:59 p.m. Monday, initial statistics showed a declining number of traffic-related deaths and suspected drunken-driving arrests.
As of 6 a.m. Sunday, no traffic-related deaths were reported in Los Angeles County, compared with three deaths during the same 36-hour period last year, a CHP spokeswoman said. Statewide, five traffic-related fatalities were reported, down from six in 2011.
Highway Patrol officers arrested 187 people on suspicion of drunken driving in L.A. County during the reporting period, down from 230 in 2011. Numbers also declined statewide: Officers made 845 DUI arrests this year, compared with 897 in 2011.
The three-day weekend is a "maximum enforcement period" for the CHP, the agency said last week, meaning more officers will be on the roads "looking for motorists who are a danger to themselves and others."
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— Kate Mather
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