Virginia State Police partners in National Drive to Save Lives campaign

The Virginia State Police is partnering with the state police, highway patrols and local law enforcement of every state along the East Coast containing a portion of Interstate 95 in an effort to keep one of the nation’s major interstate corridors safe and fatality-free.

This Drive to Save Lives traffic-safety operation begins Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015, and concludes New Year’s Eve.

“No matter what state you are traveling to, from or through, state troopers up and down the East Coast want all motorists to arrive at their destinations safely,” said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “We are encouraging all motorists to drive to save lives in the coming days while traveling our nation’s highways. Help us keep the holidays happy and our roads free of crashes and dangerous drivers.”

I-95 is a major travel corridor along the East Coast, and the Christmas to New Year’s holiday season is among the busiest long-distance travel period of the year. More than 33,000 deaths occur each year on our nation’s highways, making highway fatalities one of the top 12 causes of death within the United States and the leading cause of death among teens.

The Drive to Save Lives campaign focuses on the use of seatbelts, deterring speeding and reckless drivers, and targets impaired and distracted driving on highways. Through the traffic-safety initiative, state police and highway patrol leaders are collaborating to change the high-risk behaviors of motorists that lead to crashes through education and awareness, partnerships, and high-visibility traffic enforcement.

The public is encouraged to report aggressive or impaired drivers by dialing #77. Remember to check traffic conditions before you leave for your trip by calling 511. For more information, real time traffic conditions and additional travel information, visit the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) at www.511virginia.org

With the increase of emergency personnel on the highways, Virginia State Police reminds drivers to comply with Virginia’s “Move Over” law. A life-saving law intended to protect public safety responders and others who have a responsibility to work the roads. Drivers are required to change to another travel lane or, when unable to, to cautiously pass emergency personnel stopped on the side of the road. The law also includes highway maintenance vehicles and tow trucks equipped with flashing amber lights.