Police step up DUI enforcement

During July, the Fairfax Police Department’s Summer Crime Prevention Team is focusing on driving while under the influence.

According to the FCPD, the days around the Fourth of July holiday have some of the highest numbers of impaired driving-related crash fatalities across the country.

The Crash Prevention Team includes officers from all eight police stations. They will work with the DUI Squad to saturate areas with high crash rates to look for drivers who present a danger on the roadways.

Officers will be strictly enforcing traffic laws associated with impaired driving and educating the public about the importance of safe driving habits.

The Police Department encourages drivers to plan ahead by designating a sober driver, using public transportation, or arranging for a ride-sharing service. The Washington Regional Alcohol Program’s SoberRide offers free and discounted rides throughout the DC region during the July 4 holiday.  

In June, the FCPD Summer Crime Prevention Team focused on retail theft.

The Virginia State Police is also stepping up its patrols to reduce traffic fatalities on July 4 through its Operation Crash Awareness Reduction Effort. Operation CARE is a state-sponsored, national program intended to reduce crashes, fatalities, and injuries due to impaired driving, speed, and failure to wear a seat belt. 

Extra patrols will be on highways between midnight on Monday, July 3, and midnight on Tuesday, July 4.

During the 2022 four-day Operation CARE initiative for the July 4 holiday, Virginia troopers arrested 69 drivers for operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs and issued citations for 4,262 speeders and 1,585 reckless drivers. Traffic crashes claimed 10 lives on Virginia’s highways during that period.

An expansion of Virginia’s Move Over law takes effect today, July 1. Drivers are now required to move over or slow down for stopped vehicles that have their hazard lights on or display other warning signs. Previously, drivers only had to move over for emergency vehicles.

The law is aimed at protecting people who pull over to change a flat tire or drivers of disabled vehicles on the side of the road waiting for help. Drivers who fail to comply face a $250 fine.