Over the Thanksgiving statistical counting period, preliminary data shows that speed played a factor in at least four fatal traffic crashes.

Those four crashes led to the deaths of six people, including a teenager and a six-year-old boy. In addition, the teenager and the young boy were not wearing appropriate safety restraints.

In total, the five-day period which began at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, and concluded at midnight on Sunday, Nov. 29, 10 people lost their lives in eight traffic crashes in Virginia.

The fatal crashes occurred in Lynchburg, Newport News, Richmond, Frederick, Pittsylvania, Rockingham and Shenandoah. Of those crashes, one was alcohol related, four were speed related and one involved a pedestrian.

This is an increase from 2019 when there were eight traffic fatalities during the five-day statistical counting period. There were 12 traffic fatalities during the same period in 2018.

Troopers also cited 4,930 speeders and 1,706 reckless drivers st...