Pedestrian fatalities outpace murders

This sign appeared on Leesburg Pike in Bailey's Crossroads in 2017.

More people have been killed trying to walk across Fairfax County roadways than there are victims of murder.

So far this year, there have been 43 pedestrian crashes, eight pedestrian fatalities, and more than 40 pedestrian injuries in Fairfax County. In 2018, there were 174 pedestrian crashes, 16 fatalities, and 196 injuries. Since December 2018, there have been three fatalities from hit and run crashes.

“It’s too much – pedestrian fatalities are outpacing our murder rate in Fairfax County,” said Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. “That is unacceptable.”

There were 11 homicides in Fairfax County in 2018 and three so far in 2019.

Pedestrian and cyclist deaths account for more than 33 percent of all traffic fatalities in the region, mirroring national trends, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

In the Annandale/Mason area, there were fatal pedestrian accidents on Little River Turnpike, Route 50, and Columbia Pike and a hit-and-run incident involving pedestrians on Columbia Pike in 2018 and a pedestrian fatality on Peyton Randolph Drive in 2019.

The Fairfax County Police Department joined other local law enforcement and transportation agencies April 23 to kick off the spring campaign of the Street Smart initiative aimed at reducing pedestrian and cyclist accidents.

The campaign runs through May 13 and coincides with increased enforcement of traffic safety laws. Police officers will be monitoring crosswalks and intersections, providing information and, when necessary, giving warnings and tickets to drivers and pedestrians who break traffic safety laws.

The FCPD is also addressing safety through regular pedestrian and driver education and enforcement outreach efforts, including an effort to get people to use crosswalks.

Under Virginia law, pedestrians do not have the right of way when they are on the curb, the FCPD states. Once a pedestrian enters a crosswalk, however, drivers are required yield. Many drivers don’t know that, so it’s up to pedestrians to be alert to traffic.

The FCPD urges people to wear bright or reflective clothing when walking at night to ensure they can be seen by drivers. Pedestrians and drivers also need to be put their phones down, avoid distractions, and pay attention to their surroundings.

The FCPD has not yet publicly acknowledged an accident involving a police car striking a bicylist on Richmond Highway on April 24, as reported in the Covering the Corridor blog.