A statewide Halloween crackdown — timed as new penalties were introduced for so-called "super drunks" — led to 161 drunken driving arrests, Michigan State Police said.

In Washtenaw County, six suspected drunken drivers were arrested that weekend, and 109 citations were issued.

State Police said some of the drivers arrested during the Oct. 29-31 "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." crackdown will be charged under the new law. On Oct. 31, a new law took effect and carries heavier fines and requirements for substance abuse treatment and use of an ignition interlock device for first-time offenders with a blood alcohol level of 0.17 or higher.

In Michigan, it's illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content of .08 or above.

“Our goal with the stepped up enforcement is to make partiers think twice before getting behind the wheel,” Michael L. Prince, director of the Office of Highway Safety Planning, said in a news release. “Drunk driving arrests and crashes continue to drop, in part because of the extra officers on patrol.”

Officers from local police agencies, county sheriff’s offices and Michigan State Police posts in 35 counties focused on drunk driving from Oct. 25-31 as part of the crackdown. It was coordinated by OHSP and resulted in more than 4,200 traffic stops.

In addition to impaired driving arrests, officers made 17 drug, 22 felony and 200 misdemeanor arrests. Officers also wrote 616 speeding tickets, 193 tickets for suspended licenses and 156 for uninsured motorists.

In 2009, 299 people died in alcohol-related crashes, a decrease of 5.7 percent from 2008, state police said. Although the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths declined last year, crashes involving alcohol are eight times more likely to be fatal.

Police will again step up enforcement during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.