Local authorities ramp up enforcement on roadways during Memorial Day, expect heavy traffic
Tori King
Indio, Calif. (KESQ)– Memorial Day is one of the busiest travel days of the entire year, which means traffic will likely be heavy throughout the day.
Experts with AAA estimates that 45.1 million Americans will travel domestically for Memorial Day weekend in 2025, according to a press release from INRIX. This is a record number, according to AAA’s official statement.
The majority of travelers will be driving, with 39.4 million expected to take road trips. Another 3.61 million are projected to travel by air, and 2.08 million will travel by other modes.
With so many people on the roadways, local authorities are ramping up enforcement. California Highway Patrol Officers will be on the lookout for drivers that are speeding, driving recklessly, or driving under the influence.
News Channel 3’s Tori King spoke with Indio CHP Public Information Officer David Torres about the enforcement.
“People at the end of a holiday weekend tend to be in a hurry,” said Torres. “They want to get back home. They’ve had a fun time with their family, or they’re ready to get home and they try to speed back, but we just ask that people drive carefully. Be patient. Your number one priority should be getting home safely. And so that’s what we’re here for.”
During the 2024 Memorial Day weekend enforcement period in California, CHP arrested over 1,100 drivers for DUIs and 42 people were killed in crashes.
“You want to be with your friends and sometimes drinking is involved,” said Torres. “So we’re out there looking for people that are under the influence, and it’s clear that DUI and drinking or driving is illegal, and if you do get arrested, you will be charged with a DUI.”
Nearly half of the fatalities were not wearing seatbelts.
“We have full staff of officers out on the road all day,” said Torres. “We’re out there looking for different kind of violations, and we’re just making sure that you get home. But there will be a lot of traffic too. Traffic tends to back up more where the lanes go from three to four lanes, or four to three lanes.”