Traffic deaths fall sharply in state over Labor Day weekend

Daily staff report

Commonwealth state patrol reported a sharp decline Tuesday in the number of traffic fatalities on Virginia roads over the Labor Day weekend compared to the same holiday period in the three previous years.

The six deaths from Friday through midnight Monday trailed the 16 people who died in holiday weekend crashes in 2011 and the 13 killed during each of the Labor Day weekends in 2010 and 2009, according to a press release issued by the agency.

The six fatalities in 2012 included a Bentonville man, Todd W. Nichols, 28, who died from injuries suffered Friday in a single-car accident on U.S. 17 in Fauquier County.

The state patrol also arrested 112 drunken drivers and issued 8,187 citations for speeding and 2,459 tickets for reckless driving during the holiday weekend. The agency also said it investigated 715 traffic accidents across the state.

State Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty praised "everyone who made an effort to share the road responsibly, buckle up, comply with speed limits, avoid distractions, and drive sober. Now let's make this a habit worth keeping and continue to reduce traffic deaths for the remainder of 2012."