2023 Local Heroes Series Features Greater Richmond Area First Responders

RICHMOND - Virginians may now choose to indicate their blood type to include on their driver's license to assist first responders in the event of an emergency.

RICHMOND - The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) launched its 2023 Local Heroes campaign to decrease unrestrained traffic injuries and fatalities by encouraging drivers and passengers in the Greater Richmond area to wear their seat belts.

In 2022, 375 people who weren't wearing their seat belt were killed in crashes in Virginia. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), proper seat belt use reduces the chance of suffering a fatal injury in a crash by nearly half. Virginia's seat belt use rate is 75.6%, according to a 2022 survey.

This year's campaign features local first responders from the Greater Richmond area, including police officers, paramedics, firefighters and registered nurses, who share their experiences to help emphasize the lifesaving habit of wearing a seat belt. The multimedia initiative, which includes local and cable TV and radio spots as well as social and digital media placements, demonstrates to the motoring public that first responders care about their communities and want them to buckle up when they get behind the wheel, regardless of how far the trip is or what speed they may be driving.

"Each year, we bring the Local Heroes campaign to a new community so you can hear directly from the first responders who see day in and day out the lifesaving power of the seat belt," said DMV Commissioner Gerald Lackey, the Governor's Highway Safety Representative. "Seat belts save 15,000 lives each year, yet far too many people don't choose to make it click. We hope these powerful testimonials will convince those folks to reconsider."

The Local Heroes campaign, produced by NDP in Richmond and Studio 404 in Virginia Beach, will run in the Greater Richmond area through August 31 with a focus on Henrico County, Hanover County, the City of Richmond, Chesterfield County and the Tri-Cities (Colonial Heights, Petersburg, Hopewell, Prince George and Fort Gregg-Adams).

For more highway safety information, visit dmv.virginia.gov/safety. To view the Local Heroes videos, visit DMV's YouTube page.