The Mississippi Highway Patrol concluded its “Making it Home For the Holidays” safety initiative where over 4,700 citations were issued across the state, a press release from MHP states.

The enforcement period began Friday, Dec. 29 at 6 p.m. and ended Monday, Jan. 1 at midnight. The release also states that during the enforcement period 68 DUI arrests were made and 119 motor vehicle crashes were investigated, which included 18 injuries and one fatality.

The fatality occurred in Pontotoc County on Monday at about 2:04 a.m., when a west bound 2004 Dodge left Highway 6 and collided with a tree. The driver was later identified as Ladaja Q. Neely, 19, of Pontotoc.

“During this year’s enforcement period, the troopers gave out more citations compared to last year,” Troop K Public Affairs Officer Chase Elkins said. “At the same time, we were able to set up multiple safety checkpoints throughout the state and that gave us the opportunity to locate more impaired drivers. The safety checkpoints also allowed us to interact more with the community and help them arrive to their destination safely.”

In Troop K, which includes Pearl River County, a total of 599 arrests and citations were given to motorists, with nine arrests being DUI related and three being drug related, the release states. Also, 17 collisions occurred in Troop K’s coverage area, with three of them being alcohol related.

Elkins said the reduction in fatalities was in part due to the information MHP shared with the public prior to the enforcement period. He also said residents did a great job of making it home safe for the holidays.

“Our enforcement period was a success due to the fact that we were able to lower the number of fatalities occurring when compared to last year, which were four” Elkins said.