Traffic Crashes Kill Eight during Christmas and New Year’s Holidays

Preliminary reports from the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center indicate eight people died in traffic crashes over the recent Christmas and New Year’s holidays, with half of those deaths involving alcohol.
Three of those killed were pedestrians.
Four deaths occurred between Dec. 23 and 26, three of which involved alcohol.
In two cases, drivers were not buckled at the time of the crash.
The other four fatalities occurred between Dec. 30 and Jan. 2, one of which was alcohol-related.
This is a slight improvement over the 2009 holiday periods when 10 people died in traffic crashes. Four of those deaths were alcohol-related. More than 200 law enforcement agencies in 35 counties conducted drunk driving enforcement during extra patrols funded by the Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) through federal traffic safety funds, Dec. 16- Jan. 2. Enforcement results will be available in the coming weeks.