Distracted driving and a failure to wear seat belts contributed to a deadly Memorial Day weekend in Virginia that left 10 people dead on the state’s roads.State police said three of those who died three were motorcyclists and two were juveniles. None of the motorcycle riders was wearing a helmet.
This year’s toll compared with 11 killed at the same time in 2010.
The death toll again illustrated the dangers inherent in riding a motorcycle. In one of these accidents, a 30-year-old man from Florida (FL) was killed in Virginia Beach. He died when he struck a curb on South Witchduck Road.
The deaths also included a 36-year-old driver who may have been paying attention to a hand-held electronic device who was killed in Loudoun County, the Washington Post reported. Sadly, our experienced VA accident injury attorneys see many cases in which distracted driving using cell phones or texting has led to deaths or serious personal injury.
Of four people killed in accidents involving passenger vehicles, only one of them was wearing a seat belt, according to state police. The crashes occurred in the cities of Hampton and Suffolk and Isle of Wight county as well as the Loudoun County crash.
“While Virginia’s traffic fatality rate is showing a decline and is encouraging, the loss of life on Virginia’s roads this holiday weekend is unsettling,” said Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent.
“We increase our enforcement efforts during the expected increased travel times on a holiday to protect the public, but we also need drivers and passengers to do their part and make safe, responsible choices when they get behind the wheel by buckling up, obeying the speed limit and driving sober.”
As Virginia Beach car accident attorneys, we are saddened that the seat belt message is still not getting through to many drivers. Last month our attorneys highlighted how VA State Police enforcing speed and seat belts laws intended to cut deaths and injuries on our roads.
DM