GILROY
– Planning on driving to a beach, park, ball game or virtually
anywhere else this Fourth of July weekend?
GILROY – Planning on driving to a beach, park, ball game or virtually anywhere else this Fourth of July weekend?
If so, you will be among hundreds of thousands of others doing the same thing, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The so-called “freeway series” of Giants-A’s baseball games at San Francisco’s SBC Park Friday through Sunday will add considerably to the Bay Area’s already packed holiday-weekend traffic, the CHP reports. Friday’s game starts at 7:15 p.m.; Saturday’s and Sunday’s begin at 1:05.
The Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton will add traffic congestion in the East Bay, the CHP warns, and in the South Bay, the CHP expects highways 101, 17 and 280 to be jammed with people heading to the beaches of Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, and parks in south Santa Clara County and the San Francisco Peninsula.
In Hollister, about 100,000 motorcyclists are expected for the city’s annual Independence Day rally.
The Hollister-Gilroy CHP division is deploying all regular patrol officers to San Benito County nd policing Santa Clara County highways with officers from its truck scales on 101 – a level of coverage equal to that for any holiday weekend, according to CHP spokespeople.
“The summer is in full swing, and everyone wants to squeeze in as much fun as possible,” said Capt. Bob Davies, commander of the Hollister-Gilroy CHP. “Traffic volumes will be high, and unfortunately so is the potential for collisions.”
As on any holiday weekend, police expect drunk drivers to be a prevalent danger, and agencies around the region are preparing a rigorous effort to catch them.
The well known “Avoid” anti-DUI campaign – “Avoid the 13” in Santa Clara County – has been extended to include the 125 police agencies in the greater Bay Area, according to the CHP.
Police have hired small airplanes to pull sky banners which read “Avoid the 125 – Don’t drink and drive!”
The CHP also warns drivers to buckle up, leave plenty of time for their trips, maintain safe speeds for road conditions and obey all rules of the road.
“We want people to think safety whenever they get behind the wheel this summer,” Davies said. “Common sense and courtesy will go a long way toward achieving that goal, but if a driver chooses to ignore our suggestions, we’ll be there to remind him or her.”
Last year in California, 45 people died in crashes during the 78-hour period that the CHP considers the July 4 weekend. CHP officers made 1,497 DUI arrests during that same period.
“Since the Fourth comes on a Sunday this year, the holiday will extend through Monday, which means there’s even more time for a crash to happen,” Davies said.
