For the second straight year, the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Kansas has dropped, according to preliminary data from the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Such deaths were nearly cut in half between 2011, when the state recorded 102 deaths, and 2012, which recorded just 57.

Alcohol-related traffic accidents also declined in 2012 to 2,184, the lowest number in more than a decade.

The decreasing trend comes after years of increases in alcohol-related traffic fatalities and accidents in the state, while the rest of the nation has seen a steady decline.

Pete Bodyk, traffic safety manager for KDOT, said it’s encouraging news in an area lawmakers and public safety officials have emphasized in recent years.

Though it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact cause and effect, Bodyk points to the DUI ignition interlock law, effective July 2011, that requires even first-time DUI offenders to use an ignition interlock device.

Bodyk also said increasing efforts by police have most likely helped curb the numbers.