VA State Police Putting Extra Troopers On The Road This Weekend

VIRGINIA — A significant increase in traffic is predicted for Memorial Day weekend across Virginia, and the state police want the public to make sure they drive with a “safety first” mindset.

The Virginia State Police issued a warning Thursday for motorists to obey all posted speed limits, wear their seatbelts and avoid distracted driving.

Beginning Friday, the state police will join law enforcement agencies across the country for Operation Crash Awareness Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E), a national program intended to reduce crashes, fatalities and injuries due to impaired driving, speed and failing to wear a seat belt.

All available state troopers and supervisors will be on patrol through the holiday weekend to monitor the roads.

During the 2020 Memorial Day Operation C.A.R.E initiative, Virginia troopers arrested 70 drunk drivers and cited 2,469 speeders. Troopers issued 224 citations for failing to wear a seat belt and eight people lost their lives in traffic crashes.

Driving habits have deteriorated since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-two lives were lost in 16 reported crashes on Virginia’s highways between Friday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 26, according to the state police. Of the 22 traffic deaths, five were motorcyclists, two were bicyclists and one was a pedestrian. Two of the fatal crashes claimed a total of eight lives.

Some drivers have been willing to take advantage of the reduced number of cars on the road during the pandemic to engage in dangerous driving. Speed-related deaths in Virginia were up 16 percent in 2020 compared to a year earlier, a data review by AAA Mid-Atlantic found.

SEE ALSO: Pandemic Revs Up Bad Driver Behavior, Traffic Deaths In Virginia

Did the pandemic bring out the worst in drivers? The short answer is yes, though why remains unclear, according to Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

"Perhaps some people always wanted the experience of driving too fast on a near-open highway. Maybe some are more stressed or willing to take on additional risk because of the pandemic and its numerous repercussions," Chase told Patch. "And, drivers are also aware that law enforcement efforts have been reduced and are [likely] 'taking advantage' of the situation."

While there have been fewer crashes during the pandemic, the accidents that have occurred were more serious. The number of fatalities involving high speed and unrestrained drivers increased by 78 percent from March 2020 through June 2020 over the same time period in 2019.

The Virginia State Police said troopers saw an uptick in more "extreme speeding" on interstates that were less crowded during stay-at-home directives in the first few months of the pandemic.

“As a state of normalcy returns to Virginia’s roadways and families head out for summer adventures, motorists need to remember that as traffic increases so should their vigilance and patience,” Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police superintendent, said in a statement Thursday. “All drivers need to remember to not only comply with posted speed limits, but to also be patient and alert for added congestion on our roads.”

This year, the state police’s Memorial Day Operation C.A.R.E. initiative falls within the annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign. This helps to further emphasize the value of seat belts for every person in a vehicle.

“Just within the past six days, 22 people have lost their lives on a Virginia roadway. Preliminary data shows at least eight of those were not wearing a seat belt, to include a 10-year-old boy,” Settle said. “Eight lives that may have been saved with the simple click of a seat belt.”

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