Drivers speeding down Fairfax County Parkway or making risky lane changes on Route 28 have a heightened risk of coming face-to-face with police this week.
Fairfax County police are rolling out extra patrols all across the county as part of the 2026 Road Shark campaign, officials said during a news conference Monday. Acting Assistant Chief Dalton Becker said drivers should expect to see more officers, flashing blue lights and traffic stops, especially in areas that see more crashes and deaths.
Some of the roads cited include a stretch of Fairfax County Parkway near Route 29 and Monument Drive, as well as stretches of Route 28, though enforcement won’t just be limited to those roads.
“We’re data driven, so we look at where the crashes occur, and then we try to put officers on those hot spots to hopefully prevent further crashes,” Becker said.
The campaign, which launched in 1999, teams up Fairfax County police and Virginia State Police with the goals of cutting down crashes and saving lives. Becker said this week marks the first wave of four enforcement weeks on the schedule this year. Last year, this campaign led to police issuing about 50,000 citations or warnings — a big jump from 2024, when police handed out about 35,000.
Officers will be watching for violations that commonly contribute to crashes, such as speeding, distracted driving and driving under the influence.
“We see the same things you all see being on the roadways every day,” Becker said. “We can’t drive to the grocery store without seeing someone drive in a reckless manner — it seems like — in 2026.”
Becker said enforcement ramps up in the spring because warmer weather means more people on the roads.
“Any time you have the higher heat, you know, folks are out, and for some reason want to press down on that accelerator a little bit harder, turn the music up,” Becker said. “So that’s definitely why we were strategic in doing it at this time of year.”
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