With nearly 80 percent of California Highway Patrol’s officers policing the roads over the three most recent holiday weekends, traffic fatalities were down statewide.

“A lot of our people gave up a lot of quality time with their families to be out there keeping the public safe,” said CHP Commissioner Mike Brown in a release.

In the Truckee area, highway patrol made eight drunken driving arrests between Dec. 22 and Jan 1., according to CHP Officer Steve Skeen.

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Skeen said the local numbers for the holiday weekends fell on the average to low side.

“People are getting educated and heeding the warning,” Skeen said, probably due to increased patrol and DUI checkpoints.

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CHP officers throughout the state said some of the DUI arrests were a result of motorists responding to Caltrans changeable message signs asking motorists to report drunk drivers by calling 9-1-1.

“Everyone calls in a DUI driver,” Skeen said.

CHP made numerous stops from calls they received from the public, Skeen said, which likely led to some DUI arrests.