RICHMOND, Va. -- 'Tis the season for busy roadways and distracted drivers.
"So many accidents this year," said Henrico driver Shanetta Smith.
According to Virginia State Police (VSP), this is their busiest time of the year.
"Unfortunately, this is the time of year when we see our fatal crashes go up," explained Sgt. Jessica Shehan.
According to VSP crash statistics, 774 people have died in a traffic crash on a Virginia roadway this year.
"Look, we gotta slow down," Smith said. "We gotta pay attention to everything around us."
That’s one reason Virginia State Police is kicking off its "Operation DISS-rupt" campaign on all 299 miles of I-64 in Virginia on Friday and Saturday.
Then, on Sunday, Dec. 15, and Monday, Dec. 16, they’ll turn their attention to I-95.
"We want people to know that we're out there and that we're paying attention," Shehan said.
“I think that would be good to keep our people safe on the roads and things like that," Smith explained.
The goal of "Operation DISS-rupt" is to encourage people to buckle up — and to make sure they’re not speeding or driving impaired or distracted.
"If you cross over that double solid line and you run straight, head-on into somebody else just because you're texting or messing with your GPS, I mean, just that split second can kill someone or disable them for the rest of their life," Shehan said.
Virginia State troopers hope there will be no fatal crashes over the next four days and want to reduce the total number of crashes on Virginia’s interstates by 10 percent this year.
While this agency's job is to enforce the law, they also want to make sure you make it home for the holiday.
"It's super important that we're paying attention to what we're doing while we're in the car," Shehan said.
Troopers cited 324 drivers for traffic violations during a similar "Operation DISS-rupt" campaign on I-64 in April.
VSP is also recruiting new troopers this holiday season and will have safety units set up at rest stops along I-95 in Prince George and Caroline counties this weekend if you want to learn more.
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