Fairfax County police launched a countywide enforcement campaign Monday, Sept. 14, targeting drivers who turn right through crosswalks without yielding to pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders.

The effort, called "Operation Safe Right Turn," puts officers from the department's Traffic Division and all patrol districts, including the Reston District Station, at intersections where the department says it has seen a pattern of dangerous right turns on green lights.

The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) said in a news release that the operation responds to a trend of drivers turning through crosswalks without checking for pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders. The department did not cite specific crash figures.

Drivers should expect citations, not just warnings, the department said.

What drivers need to know

FCPD is telling drivers to check the full crosswalk, mirrors and blind spots before completing any right turn on green. A green light does not relieve a driver of the duty to yield to anyone already in the crosswalk.

The department also warned that cyclists and scooter riders approach intersections faster than pedestrians and can be harder to spot without a deliberate check.

Pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders should stay alert and watch for turning vehicles even when they have the right of way, the department said.

Reston context

The enforcement push comes less than two weeks after a 16-year-old student was struck by a car outside South Lakes High School on Sept. 2. The student was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, and the driver was charged with failure to stop before entering a highway, Northern Virginia Magazine reported. FCPD noted the student was not in a crosswalk and was not at a location that had ever had a crossing guard.

That crash reignited debate over Fairfax County's decision earlier in 2026 to cut funding for high school crossing guards, a move NBC Washington reported saved the county roughly $400,000. Crossing guards were temporarily reinstated at several high schools afterward. The Board of Supervisors was scheduled to vote on using carryover funding to keep them in place for the full 2026-27 school year during the week of Sept. 7, according to WTOP. The outcome was not available as of Monday.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said in a Sept. 2 statement, reported by NBC Washington, that "our school safety programs should not be the target of discretionary cuts" and called for efforts to slow vehicles and improve infrastructure around schools.

Operation Safe Right Turn is separate from FCPD's Road Shark traffic enforcement program, which issued 16,235 citations and warnings during its third wave in August and is scheduled to return Oct. 12.

No end date for Operation Safe Right Turn has been announced. Residents can register security cameras at connectfairfaxcounty.org to help FCPD with investigations.