NORFOLK, Va. — Six people were killed in crashes on Virginia highways over the Labor Day holiday weekend, according to the Virginia State Police.
Shelby Crouch, a spokeswoman for VSP, said that number is down from the 10 people who died over 2021's Labor Day weekend, but it's "still an alarming number of deaths among young people and pedestrians."
Of the people who died, four were children. Two people who were killed, a 7-year-old girl and 85-year-old man, were pedestrians.
Crouch said among the drivers and passengers who were killed, three people weren't wearing seatbelts. She said this factored into the deaths of two children, a 17-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy.
Col. Gary Settle, the VSP superintendent, said the deaths were particularly tragic because those children had full lives ahead of them. He encouraged people to buckle up, and require their passengers to wear seatbelts, too.
The fatal crashes happened in Hanover, Henry, Pittsylvania, Shenandoah and Sussex counties, and in the city of Norfolk.
Overall, VSP investigated 772 crashes throughout the weekend.
Through various programs designed to keep people safe, reduce drunk driving and prevent traffic deaths over the holiday weekend, Crouch said troopers:
- Stopped 4,094 speeders
- Stopped 1,807 reckless drivers
- Arrested 87 drivers for Driving Under the Influence of alcohol or drugs
- Cited 435 seat belt violations
- Helped 818 stranded drivers
