CHP ramps up Memorial Day enforcement across Fresno County roads
CHP stepped up Memorial Day patrols across Fresno County roads after four Central Valley deaths last year, targeting DUI, speeding and unbelted drivers.
The California Highway Patrol ramped up Memorial Day enforcement across Fresno County roads as the holiday weekend began, aiming at impaired drivers, speeders, distracted motorists and people not wearing seat belts after four people were killed in Central Valley crashes over last year’s holiday.
The 2026 Holiday Enforcement Period began Friday, May 22, at 6 p.m. and ran through Monday, May 25, at 11:59 p.m. CHP said the crackdown was built around the violations most closely tied to deadly crashes, with officers watching for reckless driving, alcohol and drug impairment, and seat-belt use. The effort also coincided with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Click It or Ticket campaign.
Fresno County remains one of the state’s hardest-hit places for roadway danger. California Office of Traffic Safety rankings for 2023 showed 5,377 total fatal-and-injury victims in the county, 760 alcohol-involved victims, 923 speed-related fatal-and-injury collisions and 1,516 DUI arrests. Statewide, alcohol-impaired driving killed 1,355 people in California in 2023, a toll that underscores why CHP keeps returning to the same message: slow down, buckle up and do not drive after drinking or using drugs.
The CHP Fresno Area spans more than 6,000 square miles and more than 4,045 miles of freeways and unincorporated roads, covering Fresno, Clovis, Reedley, Sanger, Selma, Kingsburg, Kerman, Parlier, Orange Cove, Mendota, Fowler, Firebaugh and Del Rey. That geography means holiday enforcement reaches far beyond a single highway or checkpoint and touches the daily routes families use to move across the county.
CHP pointed to last year’s Memorial Day enforcement period as another warning. During the 78-hour operation, officers investigated 22 fatal crashes within CHP jurisdiction. Of the 21 vehicle occupants who died, nine were not wearing seat belts, and officers made more than 1,100 DUI arrests statewide. CHP also said preliminary 2024 and 2025 data showed more than 13,000 crashes involving unrestrained occupants and more than 1,300 fatalities.
Drivers who see a suspected impaired motorist were urged to call 9-1-1 and give the vehicle’s location, direction of travel and description. For Fresno County families heading to barbecues, boat launches or highway trips, the holiday message was blunt: one bad decision behind the wheel can turn a weekend into a fatal crash scene.
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