CHP Starts Yearlong ‘Save 20’ Crackdown

In an effort to reduce traffic fatalities, California Highway Patrol officials have launched a yearlong campaign to crack down on reckless drivers, hazardous vehicle defects and cars with expired registration tags.

Capt. Mike Porrazzo, who commands CHP operations in Ventura County, said the program, called “Save 20,” will place extra officers on the Ventura Freeway on the 20th of each month.

The goal, he said, is to reduce the number of fatalities that occur annually in the CHP’s Coastal Division, which stretches from the Los Angeles city limits to Santa Cruz.

Of the 206 fatalities that occurred on those highways last year, 48 were in Ventura County. “Those of us who work in the Coastal Division think that is far too many,” Porrazzo said.

In addition to beefing up patrols once a month, officers involved in “Save 20” will focus on different types of traffic violations at different times of the year.

In February, officers will scan cars and trucks for expired registration stickers. In April, they will target drivers of cars with mechanical defects. And in September, when children return to school, officers will look for people speeding through school zones and for youngsters not wearing bicycle helmets.