Today, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell led law enforcement officers from across the Commonwealth in kicking off the 2010 Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign at the Virginia State Police Academy. During the event he called attention to significant progress achieved over the past decade but noted that additional work must be done – particularly with regard to protecting the very individuals who keep Virginia highways safe.

Governor Bob McDonnell announced this afternoon that Virginia’s DMV customer service centers will be open both Sunday and Labor Day in order to help process the backlog in license applications resulting from last week’s unprecedented computer issues.

As they pack their bags for their last planned holiday weekend getaway of the summer, Washingtonians are keeping a wary eye on the eye of the hurricane and a tropical storm following in its path. Nearly 790,000 Washingtonians are planning to travel 50 miles or more from home during the Labor Day holiday weekend, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic’s travel forecast.

The tragic death of nine-year-old Rebecca Johns yesterday as she was struck attempting to cross Franconia Road south of Alexandria on her bicycle should serve as an urgent reminder to all motorists to use more caution driving as schools throughout the region open their doors this fall.

The leading transportation advocacy organization in Northern Virginia is backing ABC privatization as one component of an overall transportation solution for the Commonwealth. The Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, which is “the only organization focused exclusively on working to make better transportation a reality for Northern Virginia citizens and businesses”, declared its support in a formal statement by past Chairman David Guernsey prepared for the Governor’s Herndon town hall held on August 25th.

Audit of Transportation Research Program Recommends Greater Focus on Innovation, Better Implementation

As 800,000 Washington metropolitan area students prepare to start the 2010-2011 school year in the coming weeks, AAA Mid-Atlantic and the Mid Atlantic Foundation for Safety and Education remind motorists to be aware of increased child pedestrian activity and traffic congestion in and around neighborhoods and school zones.

Motorists are urged to stay away from the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway I-95/495 South as emergency deck repairs to an overpass will narrow the highway to a single lane (of three) just west of Telegraph Road starting between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday, August 20, lasting for approximately one hour. The right two lanes of the Inner Loop (I-95/495 South) will be closed.

As part of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project, construction activities will require full ramp and lane closures of Telegraph Road and connecting ramps to the Capital Beltway in both directions for concrete girder placement under the Capital Beltway Inner Loop bridge. Rain delays have pushed back scheduled work by one day, with activities now expected to take place Thursday, Aug. 19, Monday, Aug. 23, and Tuesday, Aug. 24 between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Call it the “Doggie Distraction.” That’s the type of distracted driving that thirty-one percent of dog owners admitted to in a landmark distracted driving survey. The eye-opening survey conducted recently by AAA and Kurgo offers new understanding and insights into the distracted driving behavior of dog owners.