LYNCHBURG, VA – A fast drive could be your last drive.
That’s what Virginia state police are driving home this back-to-school season.
“Sir, the reason for the stop is I got your speed at 75, it’s a 65 zone, is there a reason for your speed today?” Virginia State Police Sergeant Eric King said while pulling someone over Friday. “Fortunately that’s not gonna be reckless driving.”
First Sergeant Eric King has seen his share of accidents, especially when it comes to college move-in week.
10 News Reporter Abbie Coleman tagged along on a day of patrol to see for herself.
“Traffic on 460 is bad anyways but obviously it’s going to be even worse with parents and students getting moved into school,” King said.
He saw a problem area along 460, with college after college along the road.
That’s why he created Operation College Safe Return.
“Traffic definitely increases. And you stop and think about how many colleges are along this corridor, it’s a lot, we have a lot of schools.”
King says a lot of people are annoyed when they’re pulled over, but it’s for your safety, and the safety of the people around you.
“We’re not out here after your money. That’s not the case. We’re out here to keep them safe, we’re out here to keep our families safe. And that’s all we want. We want the kids to get to school safely, have a great year,” he said.
He doesn’t want any parent to get a call that their child has been injured or even worse, killed, driving to college.
“I’ve been involved in so many tragedies that happen in a split second,” he said.
The goal isn’t to get people in trouble, but to keep people safe.
“We’ll give him a warning,” King said after pulling someone else over.