Virginia
DC's new traffic safety efforts focus on drivers from Maryland, Virginia
D.C. leaders are talking about new efforts they believe will have a greater impact on street safety, including targeting drivers from Virginia and Maryland.
The Department of Public Works noticed a lot of the cars responsible for dangerous and risky driving in the city come from outside of the District, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights.
DPW has been targeting entertainment districts like Adam’s Morgan on the weekends to find and tow drivers that, in some cases, have racked up thousands of dollars in D.C. traffic violations but never paid them.
“They are skirting the law and they are speeding through the streets — our streets,” D.C. Parking Enforcement Administrator Johnny Gaither said. “They are running red lights and they are running stop signs.”
Towed drivers can’t get their cars back unless they pay their fines in full. DPW said it opened a third impound lot because so many vehicles are being towed.
Officials say signs that tell drivers how fast they’re driving allows them to collect information and the put resources where they are going to have the greatest impact.
There are also electronic signs that recognize when drivers are using their phones while driving.
“This is instantaneous, and then we’re actually seeing it change behavior, not weeks on end, but in that moment,” D.C. Highway Safety Office Director Rick Birt said.
No fines are attached to the signs yet.
The goal of D.C.’s Vision Zero was to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries by this year, but there have been 34 deaths on District streets so far in 2024.
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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.
After an impressive inaugural season, The Saint James Performance Academy has a spot in the latest High School on SI Virginia Top 25 poll.
St James, which debuts at No. 9, posted an 8-1 mark, only losing to national No. 1 Saint Frances Academy (Md.) in its season finale. St. James posted a win over perennial Maryland powerhouse Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Thomas Dale also joins the Top 25 at No. 22 after eliminating then-No. 14 Manchester in the Virginia Class 6 Region A playoffs. Thomas Dale (10-1) next plays at No. 1 Oscar Smith in the region final Friday.
Oscar Smith, in pursuit of a second straight Virginia Class 6 state title, is followed by Maury, Varina, Green Run and King’s Fork. Huguenot, Benedictine College Prep, Saint James and Louisa County make up the rest of the Top 10.
Here’s this week’s High School on SI Virginia football Top 25:
Previous rank: No. 1
Record: 10-1
Last week: Defeated Lloyd C. Bird, 50-0, Virginia Class 6 Region A semifinal
This week: vs. No. 22 Thomas Dale, Virginia Class 6 Region A final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 2
Record: 11-1
Last week: Defeated Warwick, 42-10, Virginia Class 5 Region B semifinal
This week: at No. 5 King’s Fork, Virginia Class 5 Region B final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 3
Record: 10-2
Last week: Defeated then-No. 13 Dinwiddie, 14-0, Virginia Class 4 Region B semifinal
This week: vs. No. 7 Huguenot, Virginia Class 4 Region B final, Nov. 29
Previous rank: No. 4
Record: 11-0
Last week: Defeated Salem-Virginia Beach, 28-3, Virginia Class 5 Region A semifinal
This week: vs. No. 13 Indian River, Virginia Class 5 Region A final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 5
Record: 11-1
Last week: Defeated Bethel, 45-28, Virginia Class 5 Region B semifinal
This week: vs. No. 2 Maury, Virginia Class 5 Region B final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 6
Record: 10-1
Last week: Defeated John Champe, 41-0, Virginia Class 5 Region D semifinal
This week: vs. No. 14 RIverbend, Virginia Class 5 Region D final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 8
Record: 11-1
Last week: Defeated then-No. 7 Louisa County, 34-11, Virginia Class 4 Region B semifinal
This week: vs. No. 3 Varina, Virginia Class 4 Region B final, Nov. 29
Previous rank: No. 10
Record: 11-1
SEASON COMPLETE – VISAA DIVISION I CHAMPION
Previous rank: Not ranked
Record: 8-1
SEASON COMPLETE
Previous rank: No. 7
Record: 11-1
Last week: Lost to then-No. 8 Huguenot, 34-11, Virginia Class 4 Region B semifinal
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 4 REGION B SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 11
Record: 9-2
SEASON COMPLETE – VISAA DIVISION I FINALIST
Previous rank: No. 12
Record: 12-0
Last week: Defeated Thomas Jefferson-Richmond, 20-13, Virginia Class 2 Region A semifinal
This week: vs. Poquoson, Virginia Class 2 Region A final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 15
Record: 10-2
Last week: Defeated Cox, 42-3, Virginia Class 5 Region A semifinal
This week: at No. 4 Green Run, Virginia Class 5 Region A final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 17
Record: 11-0
Last week: Defeated Potomac Falls, 56-6, Virginia Class 5 Region D semifinal
This week: at No. 6 Stone Bridge, Virginia Class 5 Region D final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 13
Record: 11-1
Last week: Lost to No. 3 Varina, 14-0, Virginia Class 4 Region B semifinal
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 4 REGION B SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 16
Record: 9-3
Last week: Defeated William Fleming, 37-7, Virginia Class 5 Region C semifinal
This week: vs. Hermitage, Virginia Class 5 Region C final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 18
Record: 11-1
Last week: Defeated Smithfield, 35-6, Virginia Class 4 Region A semifinal
This week: vs. Phoebus, Virginia Class 4 Region A final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 19
Record: 7-2
SEASON COMPLETE
Previous rank: No. 21
Record: 9-2
SEASON COMPLETE – VISAA DIVISION II CHAMPION
Previous rank: No. 23
Record: 9-2
Last week: Defeated Fairfax, 28-7, Virginia Class 6 Region C semifinal
This week: vs. Lake Braddock, Virginia Class 6 Region C final, Nov. 29
Previous rank: No. 24
Record: 10-2
Last week: Defeated then-No. 9 Battlefield, 21-6, Virginia Class 6 Region B semifinal
This week: vs. No. 23 Woodbridge, Virginia Class 6 Region B final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: Not ranked
Record: 10-1
Last week: Defeated then-No. 14 Manchester, 27-21, Virginia Class 6 Region A semifinal
This week: at No. 1 Oscar Smith, Virginia Class 6 Region A final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 25
Record: 11-1
Last week: Defeated Colonial Forge, 35-34, Virginia Class 6 Region B semifinal
This week: at No. 21 North Stafford, Virginia Class 6 Region B final, Nov. 28
Previous rank: No. 9
Record: 10-2
Last week: Lost to then-No. 24 North Stafford, 21-6, Virginia Class 6 Region B semifinal
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 6 REGION B SEMIFINALIST
Previous rank: No. 14
Record: 10-2
Last week: Lost to Thomas Dale, 27-21, Virginia Class 6 Region A semifinal
SEASON COMPLETE – VIRGINIA CLASS 6 REGION A SEMIFINALIST
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