Fewer crashes and fatalities were investigated by Mississippi Highway Patrol Troopers over the 2021 Christmas holiday than in 2020.

Troopers investigated 174 crashes compared to 201 one year ago. One person was killed compared to four people who died in 2020 on state and federal highways in Mississippi.

The 174 wrecks resulted in 30 injuries and a single death, which occurred in Jasper County on Christmas Day.

The total number of citations (6,520) during the same period was a more than 20% increase over the 5,397 tickets written during the five-day holiday period in 2020.

Officials are glad the number of fatal crashes and the number of fatalities dropped to just 1 this year. That happened Christmas Day around 6:30 a.m. on Highway 503 in Jasper County.

A 2017 Nissan Altima driven by Darion Milsap, 24, of Vossburg, was headed north when he lost control, left the road and hit a tree. He was pronounced dead on the scene.