Seven Killed on Virginia Roads During Memorial Day Weekend

Seven people died in traffic crashes across Virginia over the 2025 Memorial Day weekend, according to preliminary numbers from Virginia State Police. The holiday weekend, which ran from Friday through Monday, saw deadly crashes in five counties and two cities.

While the number is down from the 13 lives lost during the same holiday in 2024, police say the work is far from over. In fact, 25 more people died in crashes in the week that followed Memorial Day last year, showing the danger doesn’t end when the long weekend does.

The fatal crashes this year happened in Bedford, Buckingham, Caroline, Fauquier, and Spotsylvania counties, as well as the cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. One crash in Bedford County involved a bicycle and a vehicle that fled the scene. Police are still searching for the driver. Another deadly crash took place on Interstate 95 in Spotsylvania and involved a motorcycle.

“Our goal remains to see a holiday weekend without fatal crashes,” said Colonel Matthew D. Hanley, Superintendent of Virginia State Police. “With graduations and summer travel continuing beyond this past weekend, we are continuing to ask drivers to buckle up, slow down, drive sober, and avoid distractions.”

State police increased patrols across the state as part of Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness Reduction Effort), a national effort to reduce crashes during high travel times. Over the weekend, Virginia State Police issued over 3,300 speeding tickets and over 1,500 for reckless driving. Troopers also arrested 71 drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In addition, 405 drivers were cited for using a phone while driving, violating Virginia’s hands-free law. Police also gave out 506 seatbelt citations and 122 child restraint violations as part of the ongoing Click It or Ticket campaign.

Virginia’s Superintendent of State Police says driver choices can make all the difference. “We urge all Virginians to drive safely,” said Col. Hanley. “We want everyone to make it home.”

Money from tickets issued by state police doesn’t go to the department. Instead, it supports court costs and the state’s Literary Fund, which helps pay for public school construction, technology, and teacher retirement.

With summer travel picking up, officials hope the decline in deaths over Memorial Day weekend is a sign that more people are taking road safety seriously—but they warn there is still much work to do.

(From VSP Press Release)