HAMPTON ROADS — Drive Safe Hampton Roads presented its John T. Hanna Awards for Excellence in Traffic Safety April 30, with local advocate Christy King recognized for her efforts in occupant protection.
The nonprofit regional coalition, whose mission is to improve highway safety, presents the awards annually to individuals and organizations who demonstrate exceptional effort promoting and encouraging traffic safety within Hampton Roads.
According to the organization, Hanna is widely known for his years of service dedicated to improving traffic safety in Virginia, serving as the Deputy Commissioner for Transportation Safety at the state Department of Motor Vehicles, and for his more than 60 years in the traffic safety field.
Awards were presented in the following categories: Impaired Driving Prevention, Law Enforcement Initiatives, Youth Traffic Safety, Occupant Protection, Traffic Safety Activism, and Transportation Safety.
- Sgt. Chad A. Beale (Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office) — Impaired Driving Prevention
Sgt. Beale, a Virginia law enforcement officer since 2009, for his focus on impaired driving enforcement. In addition to his patrol time in Isle of Wight County, Sgt. Beale has shared his knowledge and expertise by instructing other police officers at police academies in the area.
- Law Enforcement Initiatives Co-Winners:
- Officer Kasey Bogue (Suffolk Police Department)
Officer Kasey Bogue for his traffic enforcement efforts. According to DSHR, Bogue made 26 Driving Under the Influence (DUI) / Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID) arrests between May and December of last year. He has also made 368 traffic stops with 223 traffic summonses written for a variety of other traffic-related infractions.
- Officer Joseph Anderson-Hodgin (Suffolk Police Department)
Officer Anderson-Hodgin for patrolling Suffolk roadways and conducting traffic stops in 2024 for a variety of traffic infractions. From January to December of last year, DSHR said, Anderson-Hodgin made 55 Driving Under the Influence (DUI) / Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID) arrests, 382 Traffic Stops, investigated 51 Traffic accidents, performed 119 Arrests (67 DUI arrests) and issued 341 Traffic summons. Anderson-Hodgin has also completed Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) training, to become more proficient in DUI/DUID detection.
- Officer Kasey Bogue (Suffolk Police Department)
- Trooper Adelaide Fischer (Virginia State Police) — In Youth Traffic Safety
DSHR notes Trooper Fischer has volunteered over 250 hours of her own time working with local youth groups, teen groups and young adults leading peer-to-peer education programs to empower teenagers to work towards the prevention of this age group’s number one cause of safety and health concerns, motor vehicle crashes. Fischer has led discussions on personal safety, teen driver safety, driving distractions, and defensive driving. It added Fischer regularly facilitates the State Police DUI Simulator at numerous high schools across Hampton Roads, volunteering to perform these tasks in addition to her regular scheduled shift of patrolling the interstate system in Hampton and Newport News.
- Christy King (Christopher King Foundation) — Occupant Protection After the loss of her son, Christopher King, as the result of a car crash shortly after his high school graduation, DSHR notes Christy King has tirelessly championed safe driving practices and the critical importance of seat belt usage. King donates her time traveling to Hampton Roads schools, sharing her heartbreaking story to students and faculty, and urging students to make good decisions, to always buckle up, and speak up to those in their families who choose not to. Additionally, DSHR notes King successfully rallied bipartisan support to carry The Christopher King Seat Belt Law, which, as of July 1, will require all adult passengers, including those in the back seat, to wear seat belts.
- Deputy Brad E. Hughes (Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office) — Martin H. Schlosser Award for Traffic Safety Activism According to DSHR, Brad Hughes’s approach to educating youth on traffic safety is shaped by his own life-changing trauma, which lends a profound authenticity and urgency to his presentations. After losing both legs while serving as a Special Police Officer in a highway crash, Hughes transformed his experience into a powerful advocacy mission, making him an unparalleled voice in traffic safety education, the nonprofit said, and his core message — “In just three seconds, you can change or take a life” — leaves a lasting impact on young drivers. He dedicates volunteer hours and leverages public and private resources to advance road safety education through impactful programs and lends his expertise and personal experience to community-focused events, church groups, and civic organizations — all aimed at fostering safer driving behaviors.
- Kristin Pettway (DRIVE SMART Virginia) — Transportation Safety Kristin Pettway, Executive Director with DRIVE SMART Virginia or creating and leading commercial motor vehicle safety programs, numerous interactive teen driving programs, community and sports partnerships, and the development of several traffic safety campaigns and collaterals to educate drivers about the dangers of speeding, impaired driving, reckless driving, distracted driving, and fatigued driving among other areas. It added she also manages the annual Distracted Driving Summit, handles most of the organization’s event planning, and spearheaded the distracted/impaired driving simulator program, utilizing immersive 3D animation to place the “driver” behind the wheel of an actual vehicle during a simulated driving experience, visiting high schools, colleges, and workplaces in Hampton Roads.
