SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — As the Bay Area prepares to ring in the new year, law enforcement will be out in force making sure the roads stay safe.

There will be DUI checkpoints all around the region, as police crack down on drunk drivers.

The officers finished setting up the checkpoint on Friday night. They got a briefing at 7 p.m. and then hit the roads.

There are extra officers out Friday night and will be throughout the weekend.

That’s in addition to regular patrols. This is a partnership between California Highway Patrol officers and local police and sheriff’s departments.

It is an effort to make sure people stay safe during the celebrations this weekend. They will be looking for distracted drivers and people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.Staying home for New Year’s Eve? KRON4’s New Year’s Live will bring the fireworks to you in the comfort of your own home! Click here for details

Over the Christmas holiday period, CHP stopped more drunk drivers than they did last year. A lot more.

Last year between Dec. 22 and 25, CHP made 621 arrests. This year during the same time period, more than 900 arrests were made.

That is quite the spike. The CHP says they don’t know how to explain that spike, but they are certainly worried about it.

They say officers will be out this weekend doing everything they can to get the message out to people–that it’s just not worth it.

“You know, definitely go out and have a good time, but definitely designate a sober driver,” CHP Officer Roger Pereira said. “If you don’t have one, there’s plenty of other options–Uber, Lyft, or even just a taxi to get you home. There’s various clues that we are looking for in terms of people that are driving under the influence–the odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle, red and watery eyes, could be impaired speech, just different clues that we are looking for. Distracted driving is one of them. Speed is one of them. It could be something as simple as not having your seatbelt on. Could be something else as well.”

The CHP tells KRON4 with the recreational marijuana law taking effect on New Year’s Day, they will also be looking for people that are driving high.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON: 

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