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Help prevent highway deaths this Thanksgiving season
RICHMOND - The holiday season brings increased travel on Virginia's highways as millions hit the road for family gatherings, shopping excursions and celebrations. Unfortunately, mixed among the holiday cheer is mourning for the dozens who die in Virginia highway crashes during peak holiday travel periods.
The Virginia Department of Transportation , Virginia State Police and Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles are challenging motorists to help prevent highway deaths this holiday season with the question, "Are you Virginia's next traffic fatality?"
More than 900 people are killed on Virginia's highways each year. That is an average of nearly 19 per week, or three per day. During high-traffic holiday periods, those numbers increase with additional traffic, DUIs and increased driver distractions. During the 2006 Thanksgiving in Virginia, state police worked 1,160 traffic crashes. Fifteen people lost their lives during the four-day statistical counting period.
In 2007, highway deaths are on a dramatic rise. More than 64 additional people have died in highway crashes so far in 2007 than at the same time in 2006. These citizens never imagined when they turned the key for their trip, it would be the last ride of their lives.
More than 110,000 travelers visit Virginia's safety rest areas and welcome centers each day, and that number increases dramatically during peak holiday travel periods. On Nov. 16, the agencies posted messages on VDOT safety rest areas and welcome center restroom mirrors to ask each visitor if they realize they, too, could become part of Virginia's highway death toll.
Virginia State Police will also increase enforcement for the holidays. During the upcoming holiday weekend, 75 percent of the Virginia State Police workforce will be out across the commonwealth patrolling interstates, and primary and secondary roads.
"There are many things our agencies can do to improve safety from the engineering, enforcement and education standpoint," said VDOT Commissioner David S. Ekern. "Still, there is no more effective tool available to prevent crashes and reduce the risk of injury or death if a crash occurs than changing driver behavior. We must remind everyone in Virginia that they are responsible for their own safety each time they turn the key."
The holiday outreach efforts are part of the highway safety challenge campaign launched in early October. The goal of the campaign is to reach out to drivers to make them realize highway fatalities are one of the leading causes of death for Virginians, especially those under the age of 30.
"If 1,000 people were killed every year in airline crashes or because of a disease outbreak, would we stand for it?" said Col. Steven Flaherty, superintendent of the Virginia State Police. "Why is it that we have not noticed this nearly 1,000 people dying on Virginia's highways each year? We must take action and stop this disturbing trend."
To find out more about the highway safety challenge, and to find out how to keep from becoming Virginia's next traffic fatality, visit www.safevahighways.org.
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