The Fairfax County Police Department has wrapped up the first “wave” of its now-annual campaign cracking down on traffic violations.
Launched on March 17 in partnership with the Virginia State Police (VSP), the 2025 Road Shark campaign aims to deter aggressive driving and reduce crashes by boosting enforcement in areas known to be problematic and promoting traffic safety through social media, educational events and community outreach.
From March 17 through March 23, local police officers and state troopers issued a total of 9,320 citations and warnings, the FCPD reported today (Thursday). That includes 675 citations for speeding, 222 for reckless driving and 205 for hands-free driving violations.
The campaign also resulted in 113 felony charges, 34 arrests for intoxicated driving and recoveries of three stolen vehicles, police say.
Among the notable citations was one for a driver who was recorded going 111 mph on a roadway with a 55-mph speed limit.
“Through diligent efforts, our officers and Virginia State Troopers play a crucial role in ensuring Fairfax County roads are safer by cracking down on reckless driving,” the FCPD said in a blog post. “… These drivers pose serious risks to themselves and others.”
Road Shark’s First Wave Starts Strong: Over 9,000 Citations and Warnings Issued. Click here for more details ➡️ https://t.co/K5e1LkQLuv pic.twitter.com/7My29H1qmH
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) March 27, 2025
The campaign’s first wave produced approximately 3,600 more citations and warnings than the first week of the 2024 Road Shark initiative, which resulted in 5,695 tickets and warnings, according to the FCPD.
The next wave will start on April 21 and will last about a week. Last year, the FCPD conducted five waves from March through October, reporting a total of nearly 35,000 citations and warnings over that time.
The FCPD first introduced its Road Shark campaign in 1999, but the initiative was later supplemented by other programs. The department revived it in 2023 after Fairfax County and Northern Virginia as a whole saw a sharp increase in fatal crashes, particularly those involving pedestrians, the previous year.
So far in 2025, there have been five fatal crashes in Fairfax County, two of them killing pedestrians, according to preliminary data from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
