19 Christmas-New Year's traffic deaths

LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) - Preliminary reports indicate 10 people died in traffic crashes during the New Year's holiday in Michigan, and another nine during the Christmas holiday, according to the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center.

The New Year's holiday period began at 6 p.m. Dec. 28 and went through midnight Jan. 1. The Christmas holiday period began at 6 p.m. Dec. 21 and went through midnight Dec. 25.    

For New Year's, half of the deaths involved alcohol, according to a news release, and five of the nine Christmas deaths were alcohol-related.

For the New Year's holiday, four of the victims were unbuckled; and three during Christmas.

"The importance of buckling up and driving sober can never be stressed enough," said Kathy Farnum, senior section chief of the Office of Highway Safety Planning.

Fourteen people died during the four-day New Year's holiday period last year, and eight died during the four-day Christmas holiday period.