South Carolina's Department of Public Safety reports Friday that highway deaths decreased during the 2011 "100 Deadly Days of Summer."

The DPS considers the roughly 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day to be the deadliest on South Carolina's highways.

This year, during that time period, the state saw its fewest number of deaths on roadways since 2008 at 218.

This compares to 222 in 2010, 287 in 2009 and 242 in 2008.

While the number of deaths from motor vehicle accidents declined, the number of pedestrian and motorcycle fatalities went up.

According to preliminary data from the DPS, 31 pedestrians and 32 motorcyclists died, compared to 23 pedestrians and 23 motorcyclists in the summer of 2010.

"Clearly, enforcement and education are having a positive effect on motor vehicle passenger safety," said SCDPS Interim Director F. K. Lancaster Jr. in Friday's news release. "However, we need to do more to reach the public with our message to ensure the safety of everyone who travels our roads, and that, of course, includes motorcyclists and pedestrians."