10 killed in holiday-weekend crashes in Va.

Virginia State Police responded to 562 highway crashes over the July Fourth weekend that left a total of 10 people dead.

One of the fatalities was in Henrico County and involved a bicyclist. A fatality in Chesterfield County involved a motorcycle, in which the rider was wearing a helmet, police said.

The 10 deaths for the Friday-to-Sunday reporting period match the same number of deaths as last year's four-day holiday weekend.

In a news release yesterday, state police said alcohol was a factor in four of the fatal crashes and that seven of the dead were not wearing safety belts.

In addition to the highway crashes, state police also cited 7,390 motorists for speeding and 2,140 for reckless driving. One hundred twenty-nine suspected drunken drivers were arrested.