The holiday travel season is nearly upon us and Virginia State Police is asking everyone to buckle up every time you enter a vehicle. During the last two Thanksgiving holidays, more than half of the fatal crashes involved someone not wearing a seatbelt, or seatbelt use could not be determined. Last year, there were eight fatalities, and in only two crashes could it be determined that the crash victim was wearing a seatbelt (there was one fatal crash on a motorcycle in 2024).*

Virginia law changed this year to require everyone in a vehicle, no matter where they are seated, to be appropriately restrained. Previously, only those under the age of 18, and those in the front seat, had to wear a seatbelt or be in an age-appropriate restraint.

“As we gather with loved ones this Thanksgiving, I’m reminded of how quickly a family can be changed forever. My son Christopher was just 18 when he was killed in a crash where a seat belt could have saved his life. That loss is why we advocated the new Christopher King Seat Belt Law — to honor him by protecting others,” said Christy King, founder of the Christopher King Foundation, and one of the proponents of the new seatbelt law. “We urge every Virginian to please buckle up, every trip, every time. It’s the simplest act of love you can give your family this holiday season.”

“We want Virginians to spend time with their families this Thanksgiving,” said Colonel Matthew D. Hanley, Superintendent of Virginia State Police. “We also want them to get to their destination and back home safely. We are asking everyone to please buckle up, as well as driver sober, distraction-free, and under the speed limit this holiday.”

Virginia State Police’s Thanksgiving efforts coincide with the annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) winter holidays DUI-prevention campaign. Both are educational and enforcement-oriented traffic safety initiatives aimed at saving lives on Virginia’s highways through increased usage of seat belts and the deterrence of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Virginia State Police will be, once again, participating in Operation C.A.R.E. – Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort. State troopers will be increasing their presence on Virginia’s roads during the five-day holiday statistical counting period. The period starts at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26, and runs through 11:59 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025.

The 2024 Thanksgiving Holiday CARE initiative led to troopers citing 404 people for not wearing a seatbelt and writing 116 citations for child restraint violations. Seventy-seven people were arrested for
Driving Under the Influence. Three-thousand-six-hundred-thirty-eight (3,638) drivers were cited for speeding, and over 1,700 drivers were cited for reckless driving.

Overall, state troopers responded to 1,182 crashes, 129 of which resulted in injuries.

Funds generated from summonses issued by Virginia State Police go directly to court fees and the state’s Literary Fund, which benefits public school construction, technology funding and teacher retirement.