'Operation Border to Border' Stops 887 Virginia Traffic Violations in One Weekend

If you saw an unusual amount of traffic stops or police activity along the highway last weekend, it was all part of a multistate effort to curb traffic deaths.

Seven state police and highway patrol agencies spent last weekend enforcing Operation Border to Border, an effort to prevent traffic crashes along 791 miles of U.S. Route 15 and 124 miles of Route 17 from Florida to New York. 

The north-south East Coast corridors of both Routes become heavily trafficked during summer travel season. The seven states involved participate in Operation Border to Border to prevent unsafe driving and criminal behavior through conducting saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints, vehicle inspections and other enforcement initiatives.

Virginia State troopers made 253 summonses/arrests in Loudoun County and 112 along U.S. Route 15 in Prince William County. The initiative resulted in 2,399 total summonses and arrests, 887 of which were in Virginia. Most incidents involved speeding or seat belt violations. No traffic fatalities occurred during the 3-day time period.

“Our goal was to send a clear message to motorists that complying with speed limits, buckling up, avoiding distractions and not driving impaired is just as critical on highways like U.S Routes as on the interstates," said 1st Sgt. K.D. Blankenship, Area Commander of the Virginia State Police in Loudoun County in a statement. 

2014 marks the effort's third year. The operation is an extension of the nationwide traffic safety campaign Drive to Save Lives, which challenges states to reduce traffic deaths by 15 percent by the end of 2014. More than 33,000 individuals died in 2013 from traffic accidents on U.S. highways.