RICHMOND – During the July 4 holiday, traffic fatalities declined once again across Virginia. Of the 743 traffic crashes that state police responded to during the four-day statistical counting period, preliminary reports indicate that five of the crashes resulted in five deaths. In 2009, nine people were killed over a three-day holiday weekend.* The last time the Commonwealth experienced a significant drop in fatal traffic collisions during the Independence holiday weekend was in 2002 when two individuals lost their lives in the Commonwealth.
The five fatal crashes occurred in the city of Suffolk and the counties of Accomack, Fairfax, Nottoway and Rockingham. Three of the crashes occurred on Monday, July 5, 2010. Read more
RICHMOND – Sadly, the Memorial Day weekend proved to be a deadly one on Virginia’s highways. During the four-day statistical counting period, which began at 12:01 a.m. Friday, May 28, 2010, ended at midnight Monday, May 31, 2010, preliminary reports indicate 10 men and women died in 10 traffic crashes across the Commonwealth. Last year, seven people died during the Memorial Day weekend. Read more
Spotsylvania mother honored for proper seat belt use in dangerous crash Erica Davison, 32, was driving to pick up a television for her Lake Anna home on the night of Dec. 4, 2009. It was early evening, shortly after 6. Davison was behind the wheel of her Ford Explorer Sport Trac, with her children--Tyler Davison, 10, and Macie Davison, 6--buckled up in the truck's back seat. Friend Jason Morgan, 34, was riding in the front passenger seat.
The drive on Stubbs Bridge Road was uneventful. Then, suddenly, another truck appeared in their lane, headed straight at them. There was no time to react, Morgan said. Read more
May 27, 2010 Click It Or Ticket Campaign In Albemarle Albemarle County Police are hitting the streets for their annual Click-It-or-Ticket campaign. Wednesday, police set up a checkpoint alongside Old Lynchburg Road. They stopped cars to check for drivers without licenses, unsafe vehicles and drivers not wearing seatbelts. Police say their main priority is reminding people to buckle up. Read more
RICHMOND – Those traveling this holiday weekend can expect to see more Virginia State Police on the roadways statewide as part of the annual Operation C.A.R.E. traffic enforcement campaign. The Operation Combined Accident Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E.) is a state-sponsored, national program designed to reduce crashes, fatalities and injuries caused by speeding, impaired driving and failure to use occupant restraints. As a participating agency, State Police willincrease its visibility and traffic enforcement efforts throughout the Commonwealth beginning Friday morning, May 28, 2010, at 12:01 a.m. and continuing through midnight, Monday, May 31, 2010. Read more
New Market Police in Click It or Ticket Blitz
In 2009, Virginia had the highest recorded seat belt use rate in history at 82.27 percent. Even with that good news, 756 citizens lost their lives on Virginia roadways. Of those, 333 individuals were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
That’s why the New Market Police Department, in partnership with agencies along routes 7 and 11 in Virginia, will come together Friday and beyond for the Click It or Ticket Blitz to enforce traffic laws in advance of the heavily traveled Memorial Day weekend. Read more
AAA recommends that any child up to age 8 or 4 feet 9 inches tall should be secured in a child safety seat or booster seat. However, only about one in four (26%) survey respondents could identify proper child safety seat age and height recommendations. Additionally, less than half of parents surveyed (44%) knew the safest position for a single car seat was the center of the rear seat. Read more
Today, a House Committee gave further consideration to the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010, legislation responding to crashes associated with recently-reported vehicle failures.
AAA calls for at least 10 percent of all transportation investment to be spent on safety (currently we devote less than 4% to safety) to fund better data collection systems, road improvements and use of evidence-based strategies to change the culture of complacency about transportation safety. We need to ensure that legislation and regulation result in funding for the countermeasures that have the greatest impact on saving lives, and reducing crashes. Read more
RICHMOND – A two-day traffic safety program by Virginia State Police troopers resulted in thousands of speeders and reckless drivers receiving citations as part of the Department’s Operation Air, Land and Speed initiative. The enforcement effort began Sunday, May 23, and concluded Monday, May 24, 2010. Troopers patrolled the north-south corridors of both interstates and there were no fatal traffic crashes reported on either interstate during the entire operation.
Virginia State Police cited 6,081 summonses and arrests between both I-81 and I-95 during the May enforcement blitz. Troopers stopped a total of 3,263 speeders, 557 reckless drivers and 16 drunk drivers. The operation yielded 21 drug and felony arrests and there were 252 safety belt violations. Read more
Police: Fake Inspection Stickers Illegal, Dangerous on Roads
Officers within the Albemarle County Police Department are beginning to crack down on drivers with fake car inspection stickers. Officials say the stickers are not only illegal to create or use, but dangerous because those who need them may have a car in poor condition. Read more
The current law requires passengers under age 16 to be belted in the back seat. Drivers will be responsible for making sure all passengers under age 18 are secured in a safety restraint or car seat.
Passengers 18 and older are responsible for themselves and face the $25 fine for riding unrestrained. Current law already requires everyone in the front seat to wear a seat belt. Read more
Safety Campaigns Underway on Virginia's Roads
Before putting the car into drive, more people are buckling up, according to a new report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. However, according to the same report, 1.4 million Virginians still do not.
Campaigns are underway to change that and to improve overall driver safety on Virginia roads. The annual "Click It or Ticket" initiative is going on, with law enforcement agencies across the country taking part.
'Click It or Ticket' begins in the Roanoke Valley
State Police will also be giving you a reminder, in the form of a ticket if you do not wear your seatbelt as part of the Click It or Ticket campaign. Drivers we talked to aren't surprised so many Americans still refuse to buckle up. Read more
May 24, 2010 U.S. DOT Targets 45 Million Americans Still Not Buckling Up
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today announced that while seat belt use is at a record high 84 percent nationwide, 45 million Americans are still not buckling up when riding in motor vehicles. In an effort to increase belt use and save lives, the Secretary today kicked off Click It or Ticket, a national enforcement mobilization that encourages all motorists to wear their seat belts – day and night. Drivers caught not wearing their seat belt run the risk of being ticketed.
On any given day about 38 people who are not buckled-up are killed in motor vehicle crashes, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 2008 alone, nearly 14,000 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants lost their lives on U.S. roadways. Nearly half of them could have been saved if they had been belted. Click here to view map.
Purcellville Police To Push Seatbelt Enforcement
The Purcellville Police Department is joining a May 24-June 6 campaign by law enforcement officers, highway safety officials and safety advocates nationwide to address the issue of seatbelt enforcement.
May 23, 2010 Interstates 95 & 81 Focus of VSP's Upcoming Operation Air, Land & Speed Enforcement
Increased Uniform Patrols Coincide with Click It or Ticket Campaign
RICHMOND - Troopers will increase patrols along two Virginia interstates as part of the Virginia State Police safety program known as Operation Air, Land and Speed. Interstates 95 and 81 are the focus of this May enforcement blitz which begins Sunday, May 23, and continues through Monday, May 24, 2010. Troopers will conduct roaming patrols and radar along the entire north-south corridors of both interstates during the two-day traffic safety initiative.
April 28, 2010 Focus on road, not gadgets, drivers urged
Chowing down on a burger, reading something on an iPhone, fiddling with compact discs, picking up a rolling soda bottle, comforting a wailing child: they’re all fine things to do, just not while driving. That was the point police and safety experts made Wednesday with a plea for motorists to concentrate on driving.
“We are too smart to be killing ourselves and others by doing what we know is wrong,” said Martha Meade of AAA Mid-Atlantic during a news conference held to mark Virginia’s Distracted Driving Awareness Day (April is also the first-ever National Distracted Driving Awareness Month).
More than 80 percent of those queried in a AAA poll this spring want stricter penalties for distracted driving and more education on the issue, but 44 percent of the group also admits to engaging in the same behaviors. Read more
EXMORE -- Steve Elliott respected pets and animals, and on Wednesday night, he was driving toward Pungoteague on Big Pine Road with two dogs to take care of some horses.
As he neared his destination, the front right tire blew out on the 1985 Ford pickup he was driving, State Police said. The vehicle ran off the road to the left, overturned and ejected Elliott, killing him. Elliott's death shocked the town, which on June 10 lost longtime former mayor Guy Lawson, who also was fatally injured in a car crash. Read more
April 16, 2010 Focusing on Motorcycle Safety and Traffic Law Enforcement
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Virginia Highway Safety Office announced Friday that select law enforcement agencies across Virginia will focus on the safety of motorcycle riders through strict enforcement of all traffic laws. Read more
April 15, 2010 Exmore, Va. police chief dies in single-vehicle crash
Police Chief Stephen Trader Elliott, 64, was driving on Route 609, a mile south of Route 178 in Accomack County, shortly before 7 p.m. when the front left tire of his 1985 Ford truck blew out, said Sgt. Michelle Cotten, a Virginia State Police spokeswoman. His truck ran off the road to the left, overturned in a field and ejected him.
Elliott was not wearing a seatbelt and alcohol was not a factor in the crash, Cotten said. Read more
April 14, 2010 Operation Air, Land & Speed Yields 2,285 Violations on Interstates 295, 85 & 77 RICHMOND – Dangerous motorists traveling Interstates 295, 85 and 77 Monday and Tuesday kept Virginia State Police busy. State police conducted its Operation Air, Land & Speed traffic safety campaign April 12 and April 13, 2010, on the designated interstate corridors in an effort to reduce traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities.
Troopers and supervisors stopped a total of 1,025 speeders, 347 reckless drivers and four drunk drivers during the two-day safety effort on I-295, I-85 and I-77. In addition, 100 adult and child seat belt violations were cited and 12 felony/drug arrests were made. There were zero traffic fatalities on the designated interstates during the enforcement period. Read more
April 12, 2010 Virginia State Police Return to Interstates 295, 85 & 77 for Operation Air, Land & Speed RICHMOND – As spring returns to the Commonwealth, so are the Virginia State Police to Interstate 77 outside of Wytheville, Interstate 295 in Metro-Richmond, and Interstate 85 south of the Tri-Cities as part of the continuing Operation Air, Land & Speed traffic safety effort. The two-day operation begins Monday, April 12, 2010, and concludes Tuesday night, April 13, 2010.
By targeting aggressive drivers, speeders and impaired drivers, Virginia State Police hope to further reduce the chances of traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities from occurring on the three selected interstate corridors. Read more
FAIRFAX CO. – As the Virginia State Police Fairfax Division saturated the interstates of Northern Virginia Wednesday afternoon into early Thursday morning, it appears a majority of St. Patrick’s Day revelers chose not to drive drunk. During the special enforcement effort a total of six drunken driving arrests were made. Read more
March 16, 2010 Don't Depend on Dumb Luck
AAA Mid-Atlantic and the Virginia State Police Urge Motorists to Drive Responsibly This St. Patrick's Day
RICHMOND, VA – As there will be many celebrations throughout the Commonwealth this week, AAA Mid-Atlantic and the Virginia State Police are joining together to urge the public to help keep the streets safe this St. Patrick’s Day by drinking responsibly and designating a sober driver before heading to the local pub or a party. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), on St. Patrick’s Day 2008, nationwide 37 percent of traffic fatalities during the holiday involved a drunk driver. According to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, in 2008 there were 45 alcohol-related crashes on Virginia roadways during the holiday.
In one case, it saved a dog's life and earned the pooch and her owner the Va. Highway Safety Office's Saved by the Belt award.
Isabella, a three-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, and owner Marie Bentley survived a serious car accident in Portsmouth last April.
Police credit the seat belts, and in Isabella's case a canine belt, and airbags for saving their lives.
"Secure our pets. They are like our family, but moreover, secure any passenger that is in the vehicle, whether it's a two-legged or four-legged kind," said Maryann Rayment with the Va. Highway Safety Office.
Bentley says she's used a canine belt since Isabella was six months old.
Jean Marie W. Bentley was driving April 28 in Portsmouth when her vehicle was hit in the front, causing the air bags to deploy. Her dog, Isabelle, was secured by a canine seat belt, which saved Isabelle from injuries and kept her contained while emergency responders attended to Bentley, according to a summary from Detective John Doyle, a police spokesman.
Bentley suffered a broken right arm, Doyle said.
The Virginia Highway Safety Office will award Bentley and Isabelle with the Saved By the Belt award at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
RICHMOND – Thousands of speeders and hundreds of reckless drivers and seat-belt violators were cited during the weekend as part of Virginia State Police’s Operation Air, Land & Speed traffic-safety enforcement effort on Interstates 81 and 95. During the two-day initiative, there were no fatal traffic crashes reported on either interstate. Read more
March 3, 2010 Gretna students receive lesson in driving safety
On Feb. 18, a figure dressed in black from head to toe walked the halls of Gretna High School. Carrying a scythe, Amber Moser, who portrayed the grim reaper, "claimed" 25 of the 650 students at Gretna.
The Grim Reaper Day was sponsored by the school's Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety (YOVASO) organization in an effort to promote car safety. Read more
Dozens of officers across the country have died in crashes while not wearing seat belts in recent years — at least 64 between 2004 and 2008 alone, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data analyzed for the Houston Chronicle. About 40 percent of officers killed in wrecks during that time period weren't buckled up, the analysis showed.
“The average police officer thinks most cops get killed by felons, and that's not true. Cops are getting killed in traffic accidents,” said Richard Ashton, who studies traffic safety for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “Officers don't think it can happen to them.” Read more
"Lots of real estate listings," commented Stephanie Slater, the BBPD's public information officer and chief media spokesperson, sitting in front of the monitor. "A few people are just tweeting news headlines about what's going on in town. Nothing really."
Slater, a former cop-beat reporter for the local Palm Beach Post, was keeping tabs on a Twitter search query for Boynton Beach to see what users of the chatty service are saying about the city of 65,000. She's also in charge of maintaining the police department's own Twitter account, its Facebook fan page, and its library of YouTube videos. As law enforcement's role in the social-media universe has increasingly become a topic of discussion and debate, the BBPD has become one of the first police departments in the country to step forward and say that they think they've figured it out. Read more
January 31, 2010 U.S. 29 South claims far too many lives
Last year seven people died in five wrecks on the 29-mile stretch of pavement between Interstate 64 and Nelson County. They ran off the road in rain and snow. They ran off the road in the bright of day. They slammed into each other at intersections.
“It’s strange to have so many fatal accidents on that side of U.S. 29,” said Sgt. Pete Mainzer, head of the Albemarle County Police Department’s traffic division. “It’s out of the ordinary for that to happen.” Read more
January 28, 2010 Incoming Winter Storm Requires Need for Drivers to Make Safe & Responsible Decisions
RICHMOND – With several inches of snow predicted for much of the Commonwealth this weekend, the Virginia State Police want to remind Virginians to make safe and responsible choice when making travel plans. Drivers are encouraged to check road conditions before heading out, especially as interstates and highways can quickly turn hazardous with the quick accumulation of snow. Read more
January 24, 2010 More teens are choosing to wait to get driver's licenses
The quest to get a driver's license at 16 -- long an American rite of passage -- is on the wane among the digital generation, which no longer sees the family car as the end-all of social life.
The holdouts include Kat Velkoff, who turned 17 in Chantilly without a license. Focused on tough classes, the debate team, dance and color guard, she turned 18 without taking the wheel. Then 19.
"It just wasn't a priority," said Velkoff, who got her license last year at 20. "It was just never the next thing that needed to get done in my life." Read more
January 8, 2010 Ramping up advocacy for safe-driving club
Morgan Dillon has taken a role in program development with Youth of Virginia Speak Out.
Dillon, now 21, recently graduated from Ferrum College with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Sticking to her original commitment, Dillon began her new career this week as the program development coordinator for YOVASO. Read more
January 5, 2010 Virginia Traffic Fatalities Drop Again in Virginia for 2009
Three killed in traffic crashes over New Year's Holiday RICHMOND – Once again, Virginia experienced a decline in traffic fatalities ending the year with a reported 750 deaths across the Commonwealth. The fatality count includes the deaths of 70 pedestrians. The 2009 preliminary number is significantly lower than in 2008 in which 821 individuals lost their lives due to traffic crashes. Read more
