Virginia State Police: Celebrate the Fourth, but celebrate responsibly

To ensure the Fourth of July holiday is as safe as possible, Virginia State Police will increase patrols during the long holiday weekend.

Beginning July 1, VSP joined law enforcement around the country for Operation CARE (Combined Accident Reduction Effort), a state-sponsored, national program intended to reduce crashes, fatalities and injuries due to impaired driving, speed and failing to wear a seat belt. The 2016 July Fourth statistical counting period begins at 12:01 a.m., Friday, July 1, and continues through midnight Monday, July 4.

“Within these past few weeks, Virginia has witnessed an alarming number of fatal traffic crashes across the Commonwealth,” said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “Let’s make this July 4th holiday Virginia’s safest ever and drive to save lives. Traffic crashes and deaths are prevented when drivers and passengers simply follow the rules of the road – this includes never driving impaired, avoiding distractions while driving and always wearing a seatbelt.”

During the 2015 July Fourth weekend, Virginia troopers arrested 96 drunk drivers and cited 8,978 speeders and 2,266 reckless drivers. They also cited 828 individuals for failing to wear a seat belt and 329 motorists for child safety seat violations during the three-day statistical counting period.

The month of June finishes out Virginia’s “Move Over Awareness Month,” but Virginians are still reminded to be on the lookout for those vehicles with flashing lights alongside our highways. The “Move Over” law requires motorists to move over when approaching an emergency vehicle stopped alongside the road. If unable to move over, then drivers are required to cautiously pass the emergency vehicle. The law also applies to workers in vehicles equipped with amber lights.