Shenandoah National Park encourages safety this weekend
Shenandoah National Park realizes the Labor Day Weekend will be busy, and you’ll be having fun!
But, you can’t have fun without some rules.
Read up on fire safety, no fires in the back country and only build fires in park-built fire rings.
The speed limit in most areas of Skyline Drive is 35 mph.
The Park law enforcement is working with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to enforce the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign this weekend.
Stay on trail when you’re hiking in the park.
And finally, don’t play with or feed the wildlife.
Keep the park’s animals safe and give them space.
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VSP and VDOT help keep roadways safe Labor Day weekend
Virginia State Police and VDOT are reminding Virginians planning one last summer getaway to share the road responsibly by buckling up and driving sober this holiday weekend.
The annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement and education campaign sponsored by the Washington Regional Alcohol Program continues through Tuesday.
During last year’s Labor Day weekend, Virginia State Police arrested 87 drunk drivers, over 4,000 speeders and 1,800 reckless drivers.
A total of 12 individuals died in traffic related crashes over the four day weekend in 2022.
VDOT will attempt to help ease holiday traffic by lifting lane closures and suspending most highway work from Friday at noon until noon on Tuesday.
For up to date traffic information, head to 511Virginia.org or check out the free VA 511 app.
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WCSO fights drunk driving this holiday season
Warren County Sheriff’s Office along with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are preparing for the holiday season’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.
Driver’s will notice an increased presence starting December 16th through New Year’s Day.
Over 11,000 people died in accidents involving an impaired driver in 2020 which comes out to one person every 45 minutes.
The initiative hopes to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal but a matter of life and death.
Other outcomes of drunk driving can include the loss of your drivers license and vehicle, up to $10000 in attorney fees as well as fines, higher insurance rates, and lost wages.
Remember to use a ride sharing service, taxi, or sober friend to get home and if you have a friend about to drive drunk, take their keys and help them find a way home.
For more information on the campaign, click here.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over across Virginia
September marked the beginning of Virginia’s 2022 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over driving under the influence enforcement and public education campaign.
The campaign will begin over Labor Day weekend and resume throughout the winter holiday season.
Through Labor Day, 92 Virginia law agencies will conduct 383 individual saturation patrols and 31 checkpoints as part of the program.
In 2021, 26% of traffic fatalities involved drunk driving.
Since the beginning of the program in 2001, the state has seen a 40% decrease in alcohol related crashes and a 31% decrease in fatalities while injuries have nearly halved.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.