CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Anyone who regularly drives northbound on Route 29 has probably taken notice of the unoccupied Albemarle County Police vehicle often parked in the empty gravel lot at what was Seminole Plaza.

Why is it there?

“We’ve found that the mere presence of a marked police vehicle is an effective, low-cost tool to deter speeding and improve safety along busy corridors like Route 29,” ACPD spokesperson Logan Bogert told Cville Right Now in an email Wednesday.

Wednesday, the car was parked in one of its most common spaces – in that lot at 1305 Seminole Plaza, between Branchlands Blvd. and Westfield Rd.

“We sometimes place patrol cars near high-crash intersections (with landowner approval) as a traffic safety measure,” Bogert said. “Even if an officer is not inside, the visible presence of a police vehicle encourages drivers to slow down. We’ve seen this reflected both anecdotally and through data.”

Bogert said last December, placing the empty vehicle at key locations dropped accidents by 50%. She said there were nine crashes in November 2024 in those locations, and just four in December when when the car was deployed.

She also said having the car parked there “generates numerous alerts for drivers on Waze and Google Maps, notifying them to slow down.”