RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond high school student was one of 14 people in Virginia to be tragically killed in car crashes throughout Thanksgiving weekend.

Josie Cox was a senior at Huguenot High School in Richmond when she was killed in a crash on Saturday, Nov. 26.

“It pains me to share the loss of another RPS student this past weekend, Josie Cox, a senior at Huguenot HS,” Richmond Public School said in a statement. “Josie tragically died in a car crash on Sunday, leaving behind devastated family members and friends. Please join me in keeping Josie’s loved ones in your hearts tonight.”

Virginia State Police said all 14 victims died during the five-day period beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 23 and ending at midnight on Nov. 27. The fatal crashes occurred in the counties of Brunswick, Campbell, Chesterfield, Floyd, Greensville, Henrico, Loudoun, Powhatan, Prince William, Rockingham and Spotsylvania and the cities of Richmond, Roanoke and Virginia Beach.

Of the crashes, three involved pedestrians, one included a motorcycle and eight victims were not wearing seatbelts.

“Not sure how many times we can say this until folks start paying attention, but ‘Seatbelts save lives,'” said Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “We are now heading into the 2022 holiday season with 14 families grieving the loss of their loved ones due to these Thanksgiving holiday traffic crashes. For eight of those 14, the simple act of buckling up may well have prevented such tragic outcomes. Please buckle up everyone in your vehicle every time and on every ride.”

In an effort to prevent traffic deaths and injuries during the Thanksgiving holiday, Virginia State Police participated in Operation C.A.R.E., the Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort. This Thanksgiving, State Police said the operation resulted in troopers citing 4,413 drivers speeding, and 1,803 reckless drivers statewide. A total of 93 drivers were arrested for driving under the influence and 454 people were cited for seatbelt violations.