Speed-Related Deaths in Virginia Reach a 10-Year High Despite Less Traffic in 2020

RICHMOND – The Governor’s Executive Leadership Team on Highway Safety is announcing Virginia crash statistics for 2020. The final numbers are now available for analysis in the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles’ state-of-the-art automated Traffic Records Electronic Data System (TREDS), the Commonwealth’s central repository for crash data and related information.

In 2020, there was a significant decline in traffic volume because of the pandemic. However, while serious injuries declined by 5% last year, the number of overall crash fatalities in the Commonwealth increased by 2%, with 847 fatalities reported, compared to 827 in 2019. Speed-related fatalities increased to the highest number in at least 10 years with 406 fatalities reported, a 16% jump over 2019 fatalities. The number of people who weren’t wearing their seat belt killed as a result of crashes also increased in 2020, with 343 fatalities reported compared to 304 in 2019.

Led by the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, the Governor’s Executive Leadership Team is composed of representatives from the Virginia Departments of Motor Vehicles, Health, Education, Transportation and State Police. They are charged with reducing serious injuries and fatalities on Virginia’s roadways and driving change in the Commonwealth’s highway safety culture.

“Although the number of vehicle crashes decreased during the pandemic, we saw more fatalities related to speed, alcohol, and failure to wear a seat belt. These decisions have heartbreaking consequences that affect families and communities across Virginia,” said Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. “Our transportation agencies are committed to working diligently to reverse these trends so everyone arrives home safely.”

“Our state troopers and other first responders encounter the devastating effects of speed on our roadways every day,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran. “These incidents and others like it could have been prevented by drivers and passengers making the right choice to follow the speed limit and buckling up. These aren’t simply statistics – they are people’s lives.”

TREDS is Virginia’s “one-stop-shop” for accurate, timely and detailed highway safety information for analysis and reporting. TREDS data is used to save lives – specifically, to support Virginia’s efforts to reduce crashes, injuries, fatalities and associated costs. The public gained access to TREDS through DMV’s website for the first time in 2011, and now residents can search for even more specific, usable data. No personal driver information is published.

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