Police to target bad driving on Fairfax County Parkway

Commuters to campus who drive on the Fairfax County Parkway should take note that a new police initiative went into effect yesterday to target aggressive and reckless driving.

In the two-week initiative branded “50 Means 50,” police will crack down on speeding drivers, people texting behind the wheel and drivers who follow too closely to the car ahead of them.  The heightened enforcement comes as April is Distracted Driver Awareness Month and after a campaign by police in March that charged nearly 1,500 drivers for traffic offenses on area roads.

Police will have a stepped-up presence on the Fairfax County Parkway 24 hours a day, seven days a week until April 30.  The officers will use motorcycles and marked and unmarked police vehicles, including Mustangs, Camaros, Impalas and pick-up trucks.

Authorities hope this initiative will reduce the overall speed on the parkway and reduce the number of injuries and crashes that occur on the road.