Fairfax County police and Virginia State Police troopers issued more than 16,000 citations and warnings in a single week this month on roads Vienna-area drivers use daily, making the latest Road Shark traffic blitz the largest of the year.

The Fairfax County Police Department announced Aug. 21 that Wave 3 of the Road Shark campaign produced 6,162 citations and 10,073 warnings between Aug. 10 and Aug. 16. The combined 16,235 enforcement actions dwarf Wave 2's June total of 11,791, an increase of more than 4,400 actions.

The campaign targets speeding, reckless driving, distracted driving and other unsafe behaviors on roads throughout the county.

"There are constantly people speeding. Constantly people running red lights or driving impaired," Sgt. Evan Dicker of the Fairfax County Police Department told WUSA9. "And we have to be on it."

Growing wave by wave

Each successive Road Shark operation in 2026 has produced a larger enforcement haul. Wave 2, which ran June 8 through June 14, generated 5,740 citations and 6,051 warnings. That June effort itself exceeded the 2025 Wave 2 total of more than 8,250 enforcement actions.

Wave 3 pushed the warning count especially high, with officers issuing nearly two warnings for every citation.

The numbers come as Virginia faces a deadly year on its roads. Virginia State Police reported that 443 people died on Virginia roadways between Jan. 1 and Aug. 15, a pace that would exceed the state's 2025 total of 499 traffic deaths if it continues, according to Patch.

What's next

Wave 4 launches Monday, Oct. 12. The department has not announced how long the next operation will run or whether it will expand to additional partner agencies.

Residents can follow Road Shark updates and results on the Fairfax County Police Department's accounts on X, Facebook and Instagram at @FairfaxCountyPD.