Traffic crashes kill 15 during Christmas and New Year's holidays

Contact: Lynn Sutfin, OHSP, (517) 241-1513

Agency: State Police

Preliminary reports from the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center indicate 15 people died in traffic crashes over the recent Christmas and New Year's holidays, with four of those deaths involving alcohol. Three of those killed were pedestrians and one was a 48-year-old snowmobiler in Antrim County. This is an increase over the 2010 holiday periods when 11 people died in traffic crashes. Four of those deaths were also alcohol-related.

Six deaths occurred Dec. 24-26, two of which involved alcohol. In three cases, drivers or passengers were not buckled at the time of the crash. Two of the fatal crashes occurred in Wayne County, while the others happened in Jackson, Ingham, Washtenaw and Macomb counties.

The other nine fatalities occurred between Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, two of which were alcohol-related. The fatal crashes occurred in Antrim, Calhoun, Clare, Genesee, Gratiot, Kalamazoo, Lapeer, Mason and St. Clair counties.

More than 165 law enforcement agencies in 26 counties conducted drunk driving enforcement during extra patrols funded by the Office of Highway Safety Planning through federal traffic safety funds, Dec. 16-Jan. 2. Enforcement results will be available in the coming weeks.