July 9, 2009
ONCE AGAIN VIRGINIA STATE POLICE TARGET INTERSTATES 95 & 81 FOR OPERATION AIR, LAND & SPEED ENFORCEMENT
July 10-11 Troopers to Saturate Two North-South Interstate Corridors
For the third time in eight months, Operation Air, Land and Speed will focus on Interstate 95 and Interstate 81 for continued traffic safety enforcement. With the summer driving season underway, the safety initiative allows for an increased number of troopers to patrol the north-south interstate corridors to enhance enforcement and encourage responsible driving behavior on the highways. The latest Operation Air, Land and Speed project will begin Friday, July 10, and conclude Saturday, July 11, 2009.
“Unfortunately, last weekend during the July 4th holiday, alcohol and a lack of seat belt usage were common factors in the nine traffic crashes that claimed 10 lives,” says Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “Hopefully our increased patrols and visible enforcement during this Operation Air, Land and Speed campaign will serve as continuing deterrents to irresponsible and potentially deadly driving behaviors.”
The most recent Operation Air, Land and Speed project on I-81 and I-95 was in May 2009. The enforcement effort produced a total of 6,853 arrests and summonses. The following is the breakdown for each highway corridor:
On I-81, troopers stopped 2,138 speeders and 234 reckless drivers. They also took six drunk drivers off the interstate and made 12 felony arrests. Total violations and arrests on I-81 during the Sunday, May 17, and Monday, May 18, 2009, enforcement blitz were 3,725.
On I-95, troopers stopped 1,386 speeders and 345 reckless drivers. They also took three drunk drivers off the interstate and made 11 felony arrests. Total violations and arrests on I-95 were 3,128 for the May Operation Air, Land and Speed initiative.
There were zero traffic fatalities on either interstate during the operation.
This is the eleventh time since 2006 that Operation Air, Land and Speed has focused on the I-81 and I-95 interstate corridors. A total of 19 operations have been conducted on Virginia interstates statewide since the campaign’s inception in 2006 and have yielded 97,897 total summonses and arrests.
With additional troopers on the roads for this traffic safety campaign, state police reminds motorists to comply with Virginia’s “Move Over” law. This state law requires drivers to change to another travel lane or, when not able to, to cautiously pass emergency personnel stopped on the side of the road.
The comprehensive enforcement project utilizes troopers, supervisors, motorcycle units and motor carrier troopers. State police operational duties on other interstates, primary and secondary roads are not affected during the operation. Funding for the enforcement initiative is provided through federal highway safety monies.
