NORFOLK, Va. — 14 people died on Virginia highways over Thanksgiving weekend, the Virginia State Police said.
That's more than double the number reported last year, when there were five deaths in the same time period.
The deaths this year included three pedestrians and a motorcyclist, VSP said.
VSP also said that eight of the 10 people who were in vehicles when they died were not wearing a seatbelt.
The five-day period in which the deaths were counted started at 12:01 a.m. November 23 and ended at midnight on November 27.
“Not sure how many times we can say this until folks start paying attention, but ‘Seatbelts save lives,’” Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent said.
“We are now heading into the 2022 holiday season with 14 families grieving the loss of their loved ones due to these Thanksgiving holiday traffic crashes," he continued.
"For eight of those 14, the simple act of buckling up may well have prevented such tragic outcomes. Please buckle up every one in your vehicle every time and on every ride.”
VSP participated in Operation C.A.R.E., the Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort.
It's an annual state-sponsored, national program where police increase their visibility and traffic enforcement efforts during the five-day statistical counting period.
This year, the initiative resulted in troopers citing 4,413 speeders and 1,803 reckless drivers statewide.
State troopers arrested 93 drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and cited 454 others for seatbelt violations.
State police also responded to 1,449 traffic crashes across the Commonwealth, with 138 of those resulting in injuries.
