Deaths up, DUI arrests down over holiday weekend

California Highway Patrol officials are reported a 14 percent reduction in drunken driving arrests this Thanksgiving weekend over last year, though the death toll of people killed in crashes during the weekend rose by one, as reported below by City News Service:

LOS ANGELES - Five people, one of whom was pregnant, were killed in traffic accidents in Los Angeles County during the first 60 hours of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, according to a report by the California Highway Patrol.
Last year's holiday toll was four.
Statewide, 21 people died in traffic accidents both this year and last.
CHP Officer Patrick Kimball said that while drivers seemed to slow down during the period of high gas prices during the summer and early fall, they seemed to be speeding up again, fueled by cheaper gasoline.
The CHP also made 199 arrests for drunk driving in Los Angeles County during the holiday period, compared with 232 arrests during the same time in 2007, reflecting a decrease of about 14 percent.
The California Highway Patrol's data for drunk driving arrests covers their jurisdiction of state roadways and unincorporated areas within the county, but not most city surface streets.