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BOISE - No traffic deaths occurred on Idaho highways during the Memorial Day weekend for the first time in 13 years, according to preliminary data from the Idaho Transportation Department.

Last year, six people died in five motor vehicle crashes on Idaho highways during the holiday reporting period, which begins at 6 p.m. on Friday and concludes the following Tuesday at 6 a.m.

ITD highway safety records spanning more than two and a half decades show only three other years when no fatalities occurred during the unofficial kick-off to the summer driving season - 1982, 1987 and 1997.

The state's three-year average for motor vehicle fatalities through May is 88. Early numbers from ITD show just 55 traffic deaths this year for the same period.

"Idaho's culture is changing," said Mary Hunter, ITD highway safety manger. "We are focusing more of our attention on driving. We are buckling up, putting down cell phones and saying no to driving after drinking. We are getting smarter about the risks of driving and how to improve our personal safety."

A "Click-it" campaign under way also is encouraging highway users to buckle up in Idaho and across the nation.