VIDEO: Ride-Along with Northfield Police for DWI Saturation

Sometimes no news is good news.

At least that's the way the likes to look at it.

The NPD and law enforcement agencies throughout the state wrapped up a December DWI campaign that netted nearly 2,600 arrests, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Zero came from Northfield.

"The goal is always to not have any arrests or fatalities involving alcohol," said Sgt. Mark Murphy of the Northfield department.

The Rice County Sheriff's Office made 12 DWI arrests in December, while the Faribault Police Department made nine arrests.

Northfield Police along with other Rice County law enforcement agencies and the Minnesota State Patrol ended December with extra patrols on the road for a DWI Safe & Sober saturation for New Year's Eve weekend, which is believed by everyday folks to be one of the busiest nights for drinking and driving.

That's not necessarily the case anymore, according to law enforcement.

Because of aggressive visibility and education the past several years, police say the DWI numbers have decreased. Their deterrents, they believe, are doing what they're supposed to do—deter.

A Northfield Patch ride-along with Murphy from 8 p.m. Dec. 30 to 1 a.m. Dec. 31 yielded only a handful of cars being pulled over for speeding, failure to turn into the correct lane and broken lights. No alcohol was detected from any of the drivers.

And that's when part of the education comes into play.

"We're out here for safe and sober awareness," Murphy told each driver he pulled over that night.

The State Patrol reports that there were 268 DWIs in Rice County in 2011. That's down from 327 in 2010, which had been the lowest amount going back to 1991 when there were 429 DWIs, according to Kathy Cooper with the Rice County Safe Communities Coalition.

Trending in the right way

A preliminary report from the Minnesota State Patrol shows that 2011 had the fewest traffic-related deaths in Minnesota since 1944. It was also the fourth year in a row where the number of deaths decreased.

Of the 349 traffic-related deaths in 2011—which was the second lowest in the country—two came from Rice County, , according to the report.

And, Cooper added, Rice County's two traffic deaths didn't involve alcohol. That's the third time that has happened in the past five years, she said, a sign of progress for the county, which has been considered one of the 13th deadliest Minnesota counties for several years.

"The continuing reduction of preventable traffic deaths is a true Minnesota success story that every motorist has supported and played a critical role in achieving,” said Donna Berger, DPS Office of Traffic Safety director, in a press release. “This progress demonstrates that the epidemic of hundreds of tragedies does not have to be our annual reality"