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The five-day period surveyed by officials, which ran from Wednesday, Nov. 27 through Sunday, Dec. 1, saw seven fatal crashes across the state in Bath, Culpeper, Page, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Warren, and Wythe counties, officials said.
It represents an improvement compared to 11 fatalities in 2023 and a steep drop from 19 in 2022.
Among the crashes, only two of the victims were confirmed to have been wearing seat belts, and one involved an off-road ATV crash in Warren County on Thanksgiving Day.
“Virginia State Police is pleased that we continue to see the number of fatalities decrease, although we want that number at zero,” Lt. Col. Matt Hanley, interim Superintendent of Virginia State Police said.
“However, we still are seeing too many people not buckling up when they are in a vehicle," he continued. "It can save lives. Please wear a seatbelt and make this a safe rest of the holiday season.”
To prevent deaths and injuries during the holiday, Virginia State Police participated in Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort), increasing visibility and enforcement statewide, according to officials.
During the initiative, troopers cited 404 drivers for not wearing seat belts and 116 for child restraint violations.
They also arrested 77 people for Driving Under the Influence, including one for drug impairment, and issued over 3,600 speeding tickets and 1,700 reckless driving citations.
In total, state troopers responded to 1,182 crashes, with 129 resulting in injuries.
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