CHP officers out for 'maximum enforcement'

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - CHP officers are out in mass tonight, part of what they call "Maximum Enforcement."

Their biggest a worry is DUI drivers. "Even with the modern conveniences of Lyft, Uber, Red Cab and our everyday taxi, we still have people out there drinking and driving and causing accidents," says CHP officer Ryan Fifield of the San Jose area station.

He started his patrol on Northbound-101 in Sunnyvale, and almost immediately spotted a traffic violation.

The driver of a V-W Jetta was going 25-miles per hour above the posted speed limit.

The man behind the wheel didn't want to talk to us, but told officer Fifield he was rushing to San Francisco, to see tonight's Fourth of July fireworks..

The officers explains motorists should expect to see more highway patrol officers out this evening. He says law enforcement wants to blanket the area, "maximizing our efforts to make sure everyone is as safe as possible. so we're looking for distracted driving, seatbelts, DUI like we talked about. anything that can save a life is what we're going to focus on," said Fifield.

Officers are also focused on little things that can create big problems, such as animals on the roadway.
Not long after stopping and ticketing the speeding driver,  a second CHP officer found two ducklings trying to cross the freeway in Sunnyvale. Joe Sanchez boxed the double trouble, and removed the animals, preventing a potential chain reaction rear-end collision, "we've had instances where cars actually stop in the center divide and try to catch them, themselves," Sanchez said. He adds, "It just creates a bunch of traffic. that's not safe either."

The ducklings were released into a pond at a nearby golf course.

It's an easy save CHP officers hope will be the hardest thing they do during increased patrols that continue until midnight tonight..

Top things to watch out for as Friday's exodus returns this evening: Watch your speed; stay off cell phone; pack your patience and extra water and snacks in case slow moving traffic turns into a stand still.

As for avoiding DUI, AAA has what's called the Tipsy Tow program.

They'll offer a free tow and ride home to drivers who've had too much to drink.

The service starts at the top of the hour and goes until 6 tomorrow morning.