More Police Traffic Enforcement Planned On I-66 In Northern Virginia

VIRGINIA — Drivers on Interstate 66 in Northern Virginia and beyond will notice an increased police presence on two days in August.

Virginia State Police said they will increase enforcement on all 76 miles of Interstate 66 on Aug. 16 and 17. The Operation DISS-rupt initiative will focus on distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding and seat belt safety, which state police says are the four driving causes of fatalities and serious injury crashes.

"The middle of August is a perfect time to focus on promoting highway safety with schools starting back up, and people getting in their last-minute vacations," said Capt. Donald W Jones, Jr., commander of the Virginia State Police's Culpeper Division. "Additional state troopers will be on patrol along the entire I-66 corridor to enhance highway safety for all motorists."

State police did a similar traffic campaign on Feb. 10 to 12 on I-66. State troopers issued reckless driving citations to 28 drivers and speeding citations to 69 drivers. No fatal crashes or seatbelt violations happened along I-66 during the three-day enforcement period.

The initiative's goal is to have no fatal crashes during the enforcement period and reduce crashes on interstates by 10 percent in 2024. According to state police's preliminary data, there have been 477 traffic fatalities in Virginia this year through Aug. 1. In the same time period in 2023, there were 471 fatalities.

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles recorded 907 fatal traffic crashes in 2023, which is down from 1,005 in 2022. The 2023 level is still above 2020's 847 fatalities and 2019's 827 fatalities. An estimated 449 fatalities in 2023 were tied to speed-related crashes, and 293 were alcohol related.

State police remind drivers that Virginia's "hand-free" law bans a driver from holding a personal device while driving. GPS and phone calls are still allowed when mounted or not in the driver's hands. State police also recommend designating a sober drive and never driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, following speed limits, using seat belts, and ensuring children are in an appropriate car seat or seat belt.