December 19, 2006

East Lansing - The Michigan State Police confirmed today that preliminary reports indicate five people lost their lives in five separate traffic crashes during the 2006 Operation C.A.R.E. Lifesaver weekend.  In comparison, eight people died in traffic crashes during the 2005 Operation C.A.R.E. Lifesaver weekend.

Two of the five victims were known to have been restrained by safety belts, and alcohol was a known factor in two of the five fatal crashes.

"These numbers are preliminary and only reflect those fatalities reported to the Michigan State Police as of 9 a.m. today," stated Capt. Dan Atkinson, Commander, Field Operations Division, Michigan State Police.  "The preliminary numbers show a decrease in fatalities from this same period last year.  These decreasing fatality numbers are attributed to the cooperative effort between law enforcement and the motoring public, and it is our hope that this trend will continue into 2007."       

The 2006 Operation C.A.R.E. Lifesaver weekend ran from 6 p.m. on Friday, December 15, through midnight, on Sunday, December 17, 2006.