LAWRENCE (AP) – Fewer people are crashing and dying on Kansas roads because of alcohol.

Preliminary data from the Kansas Department of Transportation shows the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths dropped 45 percent from 138 in 2010 to 76 in 2011. Alcohol-related accidents dropped 12 percent to 2,463.

A traffic safety manager for the agency, Pete Bodyk, says it’s too early to tell whether the drops are tied to a new law that requires more people to install ignition interlock systems after being convicted of drunken driving. Under the law that took effect in July, even first-time offenders must have the systems. They keep a vehicle from starting if alcohol is detected on the driver’s
breath.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that before 2011, Kansas had been lagging behind the country in reducing alcohol-related fatalities.