CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- After receiving numerous reckless driving reports along Route 360, officers will conduct a seven-day blitz aimed at getting drivers to pay attention on the major thoroughfare cutting through the heart of Central Virginia.
Police departments that patrol the busy road said they constantly get calls about bad drivers.
"We're going to be looking for impaired drivers. We're going to be looking for speeding, we're going to be looking for things that just impact our overall safety," Richmond Police Capt. Don Davenport said.
Chesterfield Police, who patrol the 22 miles of Route 360 that cuts across their county, have investigated 282 crashes on Hull Street Road so far this year. In 2018, 685 crashes were reported along the busy highway.
Sgt. James Lamb with said Chesterfield County Police said some of those crashes are because of distracted drivers.
"They get impatient... [and] don't pay attention to what they are doing," Sgt. Lamb said. "Distracted by life events: whether it be their phone, children, pets in their cars. They don't pay attention to the lights, they try to beat the red light."
Chesterfield County Police Sgt. James Lamb
Lisa McCauley travels along Route 360 daily.
"I see people who rush in and out of traffic without using their turn signals," she said. "I see people on their phones, I see people paying attention to their phones more often than what they ought to be."
For tow truck driver Jason Thompson, the Route 360 police blitz is welcome news.
"Texters, speeders, some just ain't paying attention, so a little bit of everything," Thompson said.
Sgt. Lamb said the well-publicized blitz with plenty of marked cars, will remind helps drivers refocus their attention to the importance of driving the speed limit -- and staying focused on the road.
