The California Highway Patrol will institute a Maximum Enforcement Period ( MEP ) for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The MEP will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday , November 21 and continue through midnight on Sunday , November 25. During the Maximum Enforcement Period , CHP officers will enforce traffic safety laws and educate motorists to ensure everyone has a safe holiday. The Highway Patrol will have all available officers on patrol during this period. Last year , the Automobile Club of Southern California estimated that 5.37 million Californians took to the roads as part of the Thanksgiving weekend. This year , that number is expected to increase. The CHP says that 2017 saw a 67% increase in fatalities during the same time period in 2016 , from 31 to 50 people killed as a result of collisions within the CHP's jurisdiction. The MEP is designed to lower those numbers for this year.