SACRAMENTO – The last holiday of summer 2009 is not the time to let your guard down while driving, the California Highway Patrol said this week.

Motorists need to make sure they do everything possible to ensure a safe and enjoyable weekend for themselves, their passengers, and everyone else on the road they share.”

The Labor Day weekend is a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) for the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

Beginning Friday, Sept. 4, at 6:01 p.m. through midnight on Monday, Sept. 7, every available officer will be on the road keeping a vigilant eye out for errant drivers. They will be on the lookout for violators of the three major causes of highway deaths: speeding, drinking and driving, and not wearing seat belts.

Last year 40 people died statewide on Labor Day weekend on California highways. Of those killed in CHP jurisdiction, more than half were not wearing seat belts.

“Make sure that you and your family safely wrap up a great summer. Observe all laws, drive defensively and buckle up your loved ones,” stated CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow.

According to the CHP, motorists can help assure their own safety by doing some very simple things when they get behind the wheel:

• Buckle up, driver and all occupants, every time on every trip.

• Observe all speed limits.

• Never mix alcohol and driving. Choose a designated driver or be one for your passengers.

• If you are making a long drive this weekend, leave early, make frequent rest stops to stay alert, and do not let delays change your driving behavior.

“We want everybody’s holiday to be filled with pleasant memories. Join the CHP in making that happen by driving safely throughout the Labor Day holiday,” said Commissioner Farrow.

Labor Day, 2009 is an Operation Combined Accident Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E.), which emphasizes added patrols on interstate highways such as I-5, I-15 and I-80.