Law enforcement officers across the region said New Year's Eve and New Year's Day were among the quietest anyone could remember.

"I think the message is finally starting to sink in that we are going to do everything we can to make sure on the high-volume holidays people don't drink and drive," said Lt. Scott Gay, of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.

Cpl. Chris Wright, of the Georgia State Patrol regional post in Thomson, said traffic on secondary roads and along Interstate 20 was particularly slow.

He also attributed the reduced number of wrecks and DUI cases to years of public campaigning against drunken driving, and he added two other possibilities: The holiday came in the middle of the week, and a bad economy has people being careful.

"The economy, I think, reeled in their spending," Cpl. Wright said. "The seriousness of our economy definitely played a role."

Just two DUI arrests were recorded in Columbia County during the two-day New Year's holiday, according to jail logs at the county detention center.

Richmond County saw most of the area's misbehavior.

Aside from DUIs, deputies issued 21 speeding tickets, 17 seatbelt violations, four suspended license violations, four no-insurance violations and 31 other citations.

Still, Lt. Gay said, driving arrests were down from 2008.

Ten people were charged with DUI on Wednesday night compared to 14 last year, according to sheriff's office records.

Although not a large drop, he said it shows people are becoming more wary of driving drunk.

Meanwhile, the warnings and the watching will continue.

Cpl. Wright, of the state patrol, predicts heavier traffic this weekend, as motorists make their way back home to begin a full work week Monday.

"We'll be out in full force this weekend," he said.

Troopers will give special attention to such violations as speeding, drinking and driving and not wearing seatbelts.