Huntington Beach, which topped all California cities its size in alcohol-related injury traffic collisions in 2009, fared slightly better in 2010, according to statistics released in March by the Office of Traffic Safety.

The city ranked fifth out of 53 in its population category in 2010, the numbers showed. The city of Orange topped the list. Costa Mesa ranked fourth.

The 2009 numbers prompted city officials to crack down on drinking and partying, particularly in the three-block stretch of Main Street near the pier. The City Council placed restrictions on new bars – no beer pong or drink minimums – and police began tracking where people had their last drink before their arrests. The city placed special restrictions on the bars at the top of the list.

Huntington Beach has been in the top 10 for per-capita DUI accidents for more than half a decade, ranking sixth in 2005, eighth in 2006, seventh in 2007 and fourth in 2008. Numbers for 2011 are not yet available, Office of Traffic Safety spokesman Chris Cochran told the Huntington Beach Independent.

The drop from first to fifth was significant because of Huntington's size, according to Cochran. The office includes the city along with 52 others in Group B, which covers all California cities with populations between 100,000 and 250,000.

"You're still in the bottom 10%," Cochran said. "That's still bad. But going from No. 1 to No. 5, you're going in the right direction."