For the second straight year, Douglas County saw a reduction in alcohol-related traffic accidents, according to data from the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Preliminary numbers show 154 accidents involving alcohol, down from 170 in 2011 and 215 in 2010. Alcohol-related accidents have averaged 195 a year between 2007 and 2011.

The drop mirrors statewide numbers that show decreases in alcohol-related traffic accidents, as well as fatalities.

The trend is a welcome development, said Jen Jordan, director of the Regional Prevention Center of East Central Kansas.

Jordan and her organization have been active in several local campaigns, such as the Lawrence Fake I.D. Project, started in 2010, as well as grant-funded alcohol-compliance checks at area bars and liquor stores.

“I do think we’ve had an impact on access,” Jordan about community efforts at reducing underage drinking and drinking and driving.

However, she said there is more work to do in changing drinking behaviors of younger people in Douglas County to further prevent alcohol-related traffic accidents.