Fewer Wisconsinites are being hurt or killed in drunken-driving accidents.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says 185 people died in alcohol-related crashes last year — down 47 percent since 2003. Injuries from those crashes have dropped 59 percent in the same period.

Sgt. Bill Lubinski from the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Department tells WEAU-TV he thinks police enforcement of drunken driving and more education about its risks have led to the drop.

The La Crosse County Sheriff’s Department also attributes part of the decrease to Wisconsin’s free Saferide program, which offers people a ride home from bars.

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