RICHMOND, Va. — Fifteen people were killed in crashes across Virginia over the Independence Day holiday weekend, according to the Virginia State Police.
State police released data Tuesday that accounts for a total of 892 crashes, 14 of them fatal, from July 2-5.
The crashes happened in the following counties: Alleghany, Appomattox, Brunswick, Fauquier, Frederick (two separate crashes), Nottaway, Pulaski, Roanoke, Shenandoah, Smyth (two fatalities), Spotsylvania, Suffolk and the City of Danville.
“Fatal crashes are preventable,” said Lt. Col. Todd Taylor, director of the Virginia State Police Bureau of Field Operations. “Seat belts save lives, and preliminary information reveals at least four of those killed in these crashes were not utilizing their seat belts. Excessive speed was a factor in at least four of the fatal crashes as well. The worst thing to happen to you when you do not follow the rules of the road is not a ticket but loss of your life or someone else’s. Nobody involved in these crashes expected that to happen while the world was celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, but it did. If they would have buckled up, slowed down, avoided distractions, and stayed sober, these tragic outcomes likely could have been prevented.”
During the holiday weekend, troopers cited 3,153 drivers for speeding and 1,540 for reckless driving. Seventy drivers were arrested for driving under the influence.
Troopers also wrote 474 seat belt citations and 133 child restraint citations, state police said.
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