29 Killed on State Roads in 60 Hours
In the first 60 hours of the New Year’s holiday, 29 people died in traffic accidents on California roads and highways, and nearly half of them were not wearing seat belts, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Eight of the deaths were in Los Angeles County, said CHP Officer Glen Dominguez.
And by 6 a.m. Sunday, 1,224 arrests for investigation of drunk driving had been made, he added, 299 of them in Los Angeles County.
Right after midnight on New Year’s, CHP officers began ticketing motorists under the state’s new law allowing them to stop vehicles and cite those not wearing seat belts. Previously, seat belt violations could be issued only if officers had already stopped a vehicle for another violation.
Last week, federal safety officials said the nation’s 1992 traffic death rate was at a record low, largely because more people are wearing seat belts and drinking less before taking the wheel. California’s death rate stood at about 11% below the national level.
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