Holiday Weekend Safest in Years

What Ventura County law enforcement officials had feared might be a deadly Labor Day holiday ended up being one of the quietest in recent years, authorities said Tuesday.

No fatal traffic accidents were reported on county roads and highways during the three-day weekend, drunk-driving arrests were down appreciably, and visitors to the mountains and beaches were well-behaved for the most part, officials said.

“Generally speaking, for the last two or three years, we have seen a decrease in (drunk-driving-related) accidents, and we’ve also seen a decrease in the number of (drunk-driving) arrests,” California Highway Patrol Capt. Mike Porrazzo said.

Across the county, the CHP arrested 28 motorists on suspicion of drunk driving over the three-day weekend, down from 45 arrests last year.

Statewide, the CHP made 1,702 drunk-driving arrests over the holiday, contrasted with 2,070 last year, said CHP Lt. Greg Manuel in Sacramento.

Porrazzo, the CHP’s area commander for Ventura County, attributed the decrease to heavy enforcement, stiffer penalties and more aggressive education campaigns.

Like the CHP, most other law enforcement agencies in the county reported a drop in drunk-driving arrests over the weekend. There were none reported in Fillmore, eight in Thousand Oaks, and two each in Ventura, Ojai, Simi Valley and Santa Paula. Only Port Hueneme, with five arrests, and Oxnard, with 18, reported more drunk-driving arrests this year than last.

However, Oxnard Police Cmdr. Jamie Skeeters said his department’s figures were up because of a sobriety checkpoint Friday night at Oxnard Boulevard and 2nd Street, during which 1,100 vehicles were stopped.