Sergeant J.A. “Tony” Cameron said this was a joint effort with the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police.

The enforcement continues throughout the weekend, Cameron said, with attention focused on drunken drivers, speeders, aggressive drivers and people who follow too close.

“We are trying to get more staff and redirect them for the weekend,” the sergeant said.

Cameron said many of the wrecks on roadways occur from following too closely.

The completion of work on Interstate 95 will help ease traffic woes, he said. While he couldn’t directly link the construction to crashes, there was a 60 percent increase in interstate crashes over the last quarter. “I think any change, really,” contributes to wrecks. “You’re coming on the interstate after a long period of time and then you have to slow and stop.”

While the Labor Day enforcement begins, the Highway Patrol is also continuing its school zone enforcement, said Cameron. So far, there have been no major crashes in school zones, he said. “Our goal is to be present and make an impact and keep them from happening.”

The Labor Day holiday weekend marks the end of a busy summer vacation travel season and heavy traffic is expected statewide this year, the Highway Patrol said in a news release.

Speed is the leading cause of traffic deaths on the state's highways. The highway patrol will be out in force cracking down on speeders and aggressive drivers throughout the holiday weekend.

Last year, there were 1,140 crashes, 582 injuries and 13 fatalities investigated by the Highway Patrol statewide during the holiday period.

“I have instructed our troopers to aggressively enforce the speed laws,” said Col. Randy Glover Commander of the highway patrol. “Don't try to cut a few minutes off your travel time by speeding or driving aggressively. It's just not worth it.”

The aggressive driver has been identified as those drivers who flagrantly violate the motor vehicle laws, including but not limited to: excessive speeding, following too closely, erratic lane changes, safe movement violations and other forms of reckless endangerment. Aggressive drivers account for the majority of the traffic collisions that occur on the state roadways.

The highway patrol will also join other law enforcement agencies at “Click-It or Ticket” seatbelt checkpoints across the state throughout the week, and troopers will be participating in the nationwide Combined Accident Reduction Effort. Operation C.A.R.E. is a coordinated effort of highway patrol and state police agencies. These high visibility patrols are designed to prevent crashes and ensure voluntary compliance with the motor vehicle laws.

The Labor Day holiday weekend officially begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept 4 and ends at midnight, Monday, Sept 7.

Citizens can report highway problems to the patrol by dialing *HP (*47) on their cellular phones. The toll-free call goes directly to the nearest highway patrol communication center.