VIRGINIA BEACH Va. (WAVY) – Officials met Monday to urge motorists to slow down and move over ahead of the July 4 holiday week, in which 2.1 million Virginians are expected to travel.
July 1 marks one year since the expansion of Virginia’s Slow Down, Move Over law, it is also the first day of National Roadside Safety Awareness Month.
“Since January of 2023, there have been 66 crashes involving our safety service patrol. Three workers were injured,” said Christopher Hall, Hampton Roads district engineer with Virginia Department of Transportation, “and last October, a vehicle safety service patrol worker was tragically killed on the side of Interstate 64 in Hampton. The VDOT worker, Craig Boone, was helping a disabled motorist when another driver ran off the road into the shoulder and struck him in the service vehicle.”
Just last month, a trooper in Fairfax County was hit by a car.
One of the speakers at Monday’s event, Melanie Clark, noted that her husband was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer while responding to a call in Hanover in 2018. He was a firefighter and saved the lives of his entire crew, two of whom were injured in the incident.
“How many families will needlessly suffer the loss of a family member? For those who selfishly choose to disregard the safety of others,” Clark said, “please do your part in protecting those who are defenseless us on our dangerous highways and roadways.”