CHP arrests 71 in L.A. County on drunk-driving charges
The California Highway Patrol arrested 71 people in Los Angeles County for alleged drunk driving on Christmas Eve, more than double last year’s total.
No one was killed in traffic accidents between 6 p.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. Christmas Day in L.A. County, compared with two deaths in 2008. But the CHP noted a sharp increase in arrests and traffic-related deaths across the state.
Statewide, 246 people were arrested for apparently driving under the influence this Christmas Eve, compared with 167 such arrests last year. Nine people in the state died in traffic-related accidents, compared with three deaths in 2008, the CHP said.
In 2008, 30 people in L.A. County were arrested for alleged drunk driving on Christmas Eve.
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