Virginia State Police are raising concerns over the number of deaths among motorcyclists over the holiday weekend.
Reports show eight people died in traffic crashes in the Commonwealth during Labor Day weekend. According to state police, the statistical counting period for the holiday weekend started at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 3, and ended at midnight on Monday, Sept. 6.
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During that time period, Virginia saw eight deadly crashes in the counties of Bedford, Charlotte, Hanover, Madison and Wythe, along with the cities of Suffolk, Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
Of those crashes, four involved motorcycles while one involved a moped.
State police also arrested 59 impaired drivers on Virginia highways, and are investigating a total of 778 traffic crashes from the weekend.
Here’s the breakdown of state police’s safety enforcement during Labor Day weekend. Virginia troopers:
- Stopped 4,602 speeders
- Stopped 1,591 reckless drivers
- Arrested 59 drivers for DUI/DUID
- Cited 402 seat belt violations
- Assisted 995 disabled/stranded motorists
In comparison to 2020, the Commonwealth saw a significant decrease in deadly crashes during this holiday weekend. 2020 saw 20 traffic fatalities, which is 12 more than what state police reported this year.
“I can only hope that the reduction in traffic deaths during the Labor Day weekend is a sign of continued reductions for the remainder of the year,” said Virginia State Police Superintendent, Colonel Gary T. Settle. “We haven’t seen holiday numbers like this since 2017.”