Crash fatalities spike in Richmond region among unbuckled people

Although overall crash fatalities are decreasing in the Richmond region, there has been a spike in the number of people who weren't wearing their seat belts killed in crashes, according to preliminary statistics from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

Through October, 81 people who weren’t properly secured in a seat belt or car seat had died as a result of crashes in the Richmond region this year, compared to 66 during the same 10 months in 2021 – an increase of 23%.

Increases in crash deaths among pedestrians and teen drivers also were reported through the first 10 months of the year. DMV’s Richmond region encompasses the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg and Richmond, and the counties of Amelia, Brunswick, Buckingham, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Halifax, Hanover, Henrico, Louisa, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Powhatan, Prince Edward and Prince George.

“We provide this data to give folks a look at what’s going on right now in their communities," said Acting DMV Commissioner Linda Ford, the governor’s highway safety representative. "We hope drivers will be motivated to make a change and put a stop to the behaviors that we know contribute to these devastating crashes. Each of these numbers represents a real person and many are people in your community. We all have the power to make a difference by buckling up, slowing down and never driving distracted or impaired.”

Throughout the state, 822 people have died in crashes so far this year, a 2% increase compared to this time last year.