Pam Dudding
Contributing writer
Hearing the shriek of a siren always seems to make one’s heart jump, and for some prayers to rise.
In Craig County, the smallness of the community allows for people to touch the hearts of one another during a crisis, especially when the sheriff, fire or EMS has to be called.
However, the Craig County Sheriff’s Office recently received a Virginia Highway Traffic Safety Award from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles for “Zero Traffic Fatalities in 2019.”
“It was an accomplishment that few counties have, especially in today’s world,” Sheriff Trevor Craddock said.
In part, the award reads, “Your agency’s dedication to traffic safety and promoting safe driving behaviors goes a long way in the effort to reach zero road fatalities in Virginia. Providing a constant, visible deterrence to unsafe driving is vital to keep us moving in the right direction, which is toward zero deaths.”
Craig County also received this award in 2016 and again in 2017.
“It is a great honor to receive this award, as it shows the commitment of the Craig County Sheriff’s Office to save lives in our community,” Craddock noted.
The Sheriff Department shared that they would continue high visibility patrols to keep the roads safe and will be watching for impaired driving, distracted driving, reckless driving and speeding as well as other traffic violations.
“The community can help to keep our roads safe by remembering to always buckle their safety belt and place children in appropriate child restraints. Please be mindful of your speed as speeding is a large contributor to crashes in Virginia as well as impaired and distracted driving,” Craddock said. “The community can also help by reporting reckless driving to the sheriff’s office.
He added, “This award means that there was no loss of life in Craig due to a traffic fatality. We are a small community and all of our families travel the roadways of Craig County as well as other citizens of our great nation, and our Sheriff’s Office wants everyone to return home safely to their families each and every day.”