30 people killed during Thanksgiving holiday - Willows Journal

Thirty people were killed in more than two dozen traffic collisions around the state, and 1,320 people were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in cases handled by the California Highway Patrol over the Thanksgiving holiday, officials said.

An Oroville man was killed on Thanksgiving Day near Orland, when he was ejected from his 2012 Hyundai, which overturned several times on County Road 24, west of Road U.

Nathan Gonzalez, 26, was one of 10 people killed over the holiday who were not wearing seatbelts, the CHP said.

Gonzalez was killed just hours before the law enforcement agency's maxim enforcement period began, which was from 6:01 a.m. Wednesday to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, said Willows CHP Public Information Officer Tracy Hoover.

The CHP said Gonzalez's vehicle drifted off the roadway and overturned around 2:55 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The statewide fatality count over the Thanksgiving holiday is up from the same period last year, Hoover said.

In 2011, 18 traffic collisions killed 21 people.

The 1,320 drunk-driving arrests by CHP officers, which does not include those by city and county law enforcement agencies, was a drop from last year's 1,475, the CHP reported, although 58 DUI arrests in the Northern Division is up from last year's 41.

The CHP, along with the Glenn County Sheriff's Office and Orland and Willows Police departments, made several DUI arrests over the holiday weekend.

During a CHP maximum enforcement period, all available officers are on the state's roadways to keep tabs on drivers during busy holiday travel periods.

The next maximum enforcement will be over the Christmas holidays, beginning at 6 p.m. on Dec. 21 and New Year's, beginning at 6 p.m. on Dec. 28.

Of particular focus for officers on patrol is seat belt use and speed, Hoover said.

Officers will also be looking for drunk, drowsy or distracted drivers.