By Clay LePard
clepard@cbs4qc.com
As we started the New Year, many were out celebrating last night here in the QCA.
CBS4 rode along with police as they watched the roads overnight.
For being such a big drinking holiday, it was fairly quiet. Compared to previous new years, the Scott County Sheriff's Department says this year wasn't nearly as bad when it comes to drunk driving.
"I remember two years ago on New Year's Eve, I made my first arrest before I started my shift and didn't stop responding to calls until 6:30 in the morning so it depends day to day," says Deputy Eric Roloff.
But this year, the crowd died down pretty quickly by about 2:30 a.m.
While there were still several incidents, officers say for the most part, people got the idea of driving safe.
That's news when you imagine what recent studies say about the holiday.
According to a study by AAA, New Year's Day consistently ranks as the deadliest day for automobile deaths.
Officers say now, it looks like people are finally getting the right idea when it comes to being safe on new years.
"People are definitely using designated drivers a lot more than they used to," Roloff adds. "I could make three or four traffic stops and out of those, a good chance three of them are designated drivers driving around."
Officers say crews will stay out looking for drunk drivers up through 6 a.m.
