CHP enforcement campaigns aim to curb uptick in reckless driving

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. - If it seems like more people are driving dangerously fast on the highways these days, your suspicions are correct, at least in one part of the Bay Area.

A recent enforcement campaign in the East Bay caught hundreds of drivers speeding, some going faster than 100 miles per hour.

On Thursday, CHP officer’s conducted a speed enforcement operation in Contra Costa County, something they do up to twice a month.

On this occasion, they focused their attention on Highway 4, a stretch of roadway that brings up lots of complaints and strong opinions from some drivers.

"The people on Highway 4 are absolutely unreal. It’s like Mad Max Thunderdome out there," said Peter Glenk.

"Yeah, there’s a lot of speeders, definitely," said Debbie Sander.

The CHP issued 326 citations on Highway 4 alone Thursday.  Some were for distracted driving and other violations, but 268 were for speeding, with a handful of drivers clocked at more than 100 miles per hour.

"To be quite frank we probably could have written more.  You can only do so much," said CHP Spokesperson Brandon Correia. "They’re high speeds.  They’re in the 80’s, 90’s, 100’s."

Driver Alex Julius summed up the frequency of people going at least 80.

"80 is the new 50."

The CHP says it first noticed an uptick in speed during the pandemic when roads were relatively open.

But now that roadways are full again, some drivers are still driving at reckless speeds on Highway 4.

"I see people go 85, 90 on that road all the time," said Sander.

The CHP adds, what’s happening on Highway 4 is likely happening to some degree all over the Bay Area.

While getting a ticket can be an expensive annoyance for drivers, it’s the danger that concerns CHP officers, who know first-hand the difficulty of controlling a vehicle at high speed.

"Especially 70, 75, 80, dramatically increases, and we know that from experience when we practice on kind of dry, dry runs when we’re doing it in a practice facility," said Correia.

The CHP says it’s too early to know if the uptick in speed during the pandemic has become permanent. Only data analysis at the end of the year will give deeper insight.

For now, they are focusing on increasing their visual presence and using focused enforcement as a deterrent. Meanwhile, drivers are adjusting to the danger.

"The flow of traffic is really fast here, everywhere," said motorcyclist Brad Bandehey.

"So, I try just to breathe and try not to get upset at things," said Glenk.

The CHP encourages drivers to report reckless speeders, if it’s safe to do so.

Call the non-emergency number and make sure to give a description of the vehicle, a location and the direction the vehicle is traveling.