Eight people were killed in traffic crashes in Michigan over the two-week period surrounding the Christmas and New Year's holidays, according to preliminary information from the Michigan State Police.

That figure is down from the 2009 holiday period, when 10 people died in traffic crashes.

One of the fatalities occurred in Washtenaw County, when a 5-year-old boy was killed in a head-on crash in Bridgewater Township on Dec. 26. Police said the crash occurred after the boy's father lost control of the car on a snow-covered road, and alcohol was not a factor.

Of the eight fatalities statewide, four involved alcohol, according to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. Three of those killed were pedestrians.

Four deaths occurred between Dec. 23 and 26 — three involving alcohol — and in two cases, drivers weren't buckled at the time of the crash, the OHSP said in a news release. The other four fatalities occurred between Dec. 30 and Jan. 2, and one was alcohol-related.

In an effort to curb drinking and driving over the holidays, more than 200 law enforcement agencies in 35 counties conducted extra patrols.

The results of the enforcement efforts are expected to be released soon by the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department and Michigan State Police.