The Fairfax County Police Department has wrapped up its 2026 “Road Shark” traffic-safety campaign with 60,818 citations and warnings issued across four waves of stepped-up enforcement that began in April, the department said in a press release reported by FFXnow on October 26.

Source: FFXnow

The fourth and final wave, conducted from October 12 to 18, alone produced 19,272 citations and warnings. This year's total is a 23% increase over the 2025 campaign, which ended with 49,304 citations and warnings.

Road Shark targets dangerous driving — speeding, reckless driving and drivers using handheld phones — in areas known for hazards, paired with driver education. The Virginia State Police also takes part in the campaign. An earlier wave this year, from August 10 to 16, issued 16,235 citations and warnings, which Northern Virginia Magazine reported at the time was the department's largest enforcement effort of 2026.

Source: Northern Virginia Magazine

“The Road Shark campaign has resulted in hundreds of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) arrests and citations for Reckless Driving and the Unlawful Use of Handheld Devices While Driving, reinforcing the commitment to reducing dangerous driving behaviors across Fairfax County,” the department said.

Why the campaign came back

Road Shark was first introduced in 1999 and returned in 2023 after fatal crashes surged in Fairfax County in 2022. The 66 traffic-related deaths reported that year — nearly half of them, 32, pedestrians — remain the most recorded in any year since the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles launched its TREDS database in 2010, FFXnow reported.

According to TREDS, 42 people have died on Fairfax County roads so far this year, though police say the preliminary database does not yet capture every crash — officers have reported four fatal crashes in October alone, including two that killed pedestrians. In June, five people died in two days, in a month that saw 10 road deaths overall.

“As the Road Shark campaign concludes, we remind all drivers to do their part in keeping our roads safe,” the department said. “Plan ahead, stay focused behind the wheel, obey posted speed limits, and never drive under the influence.”