The Shadow
APPOMATTOX, Va. (VR) – The Virginia State Police Appomattox, Salem, Culpeper, and Wytheville Divisions will be conducting Operation DISS-rupt on all 325 miles of Interstate 81 in Virginia on July 1 and July 2, 2025. The traffic enforcement and educational safety initiative focuses on distracted driving, impaired driving, speed compliance and seat belt safety. Preliminary data from January 1, 2025, to June 15, 2025, shows 310 persons have died in a traffic crash on Virginia roadways this year; 372 people died over the same time period in 2024.
“As we approach the busy Fourth of July holiday, we want to make sure the roads are as safe as possible,” said Captain Craig C. Worsham, Commander of the Virginia State Police Appomattox Division. “Initiatives like ‘DISS-rupt’ are aimed at getting Virginians back to the basics about traffic safety: making sure they are driving sober, driving safely, buckling up, and focusing on the task ahead.”
Operation DISS-rupt targets the four key causes of fatal and serious injury crashes across Virginia’s interstate system. The operation’s goal is to achieve zero fatal crashes during designated enforcement periods and to reduce the total number of crashes on our interstates for the calendar year by 10%:
- Ditch Distractions: Virginia has a “Hands-Free” law that prohibits a driver from holding a handheld personal communications device while driving. GPS and making phone calls are still legal, as long as the device is mounted and/or not in your hands.
- Never Drive Impaired: Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is illegal in Virginia. Even buzzed driving is drunk driving. Always designate a sober driver or use public transportation or a ride-hailing service.
- Comply with Speed Limits: Posted speed limits on Virginia interstates never exceed 70 mph. So, neither should your speed. Speed-related crashes claimed 410 lives in 2024 in Virginia.* Simply, drive to save lives.
- Seat Belt Safety ***NEW***: Virginia law, as of July 1, requires all occupants of a motor vehicle be restrained, no matter their seating position. Previously, the law only required minors and adult front-seat passengers to wear a seatbelt.
Virginia State Police also conducted Operation DISS-rupt on Interstate 81 from September 19, 2024, to September 20, 2024. During that enforcement period, troopers cited 504 drivers for speeding, 79 drivers for reckless driving, and arrested seven drivers for driving while intoxicated. There was one fatality on Interstate 81 during that time period in Botetourt County.
*2024 Virginia Crash Facts, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
