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End of Burning Man Leads To Road Hazards, High Traffic; CHP Says DUI's On The Rise

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — With the long weekend coming to an end, once again it proved to be busy on Northern California freeways, especially with thousands of people returning from Burning Man.

Officer Chris Nave with California Highway Patrol Gold Run says he's seen plenty of hazards.

"We've seen some of the loads coming down here...vehicles stacked pretty high with some pretty interesting stuff coming off the hill," Nave said. "People coming back from Burning Man, if you're driving down the road you just got to make sure everything's secured tight and strapped down the best you can."

Nave says not everyone was getting the message.

CHP tweeted pictures of two Burning Man camper trailers that flipped over in the area of Soda Springs speed and heavy loads were factors in both accidents.

"Obviously, you need to slow down," Nave said. "Going too fast going down these hills, the trailers start to whip behind you because you're going too fast. They get out of control. The next thing you know they're dumped on their side."

The wait time to exit Black Rock City was close to 4.5 hours combined with regular long weekend traffic. Freeways were packed well into the evening.

Nave said because of busy roads, officers would remain vigilant to make sure everyone arrives home safely. The biggest surprise this year, he said, was the rise in DUI arrests.

"As of this morning, statewide, there [were] 980 DUI arrests, which is high," Nave said.

The final number for DUI arrests statewide will be released early this week.

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