(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) The traffic light at the busy intersection of Army Navy Drive and S. Hayes Street is dark after a older model Mercedes sedan crashed into the traffic signal control box.
Police were directing traffic at the busy intersection, which is located across from the Pentagon City mall. The intersection handles Pentagon City traffic exiting and entering I-395. Backups are minor at this time, but police are not allowing drivers to make left-hand turns. County crews were seen erecting portable stop signs just before noon.
Dominion has reportedly been delayed in responding to the scene due to a power outage in Alexandria. Police have been told the repairs may last for much of the day.
Related Posts
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- Dump Truck Hits Traffic Light in Pentagon City April 12, 2011
- Traffic Light Problems Reported in Arlington January 18, 2011
- Malfunctioning Traffic Light Causes Backups Near Fort Myer August 9, 2010
Didn’t this already happen once this year at the same intersection?
I had a conversation with my parents about the drivers in this area. It goes beyond them being a-holes. It’s to the point where they are either sociopathic or mentally retarded. The idiocy and rudeness on the roads here is astounding.
It’s clearly an older person (like your parents) who had an ACCIDENT. My guess is there was no idiocy or rudeness involved, just a good ‘ole accident.
Take it easy, Steve.
No, Accident implies something other than wanton incompetence.
Glad to know you were on the scene and witnessed what happened, steve. You should call the police and the insurance company and enlighten them too.
Are you suggesting that hitting traffic boxes happens in the absence of negligence???
:facepalm:
Someone could have had a stroke/etc which would absolve from negligence. But I vote for the pentagon city eye candy causing the crash.
If eye candy is the “cause” then it IS negligence as a reasonable person would keep their eye on the road, not on eye candy.
Please refrain from using “mentally retarded” as an insult. It insults real people.
“Dominion has reportedly been delayed in responding to the scene due to a power outage in Alexandria. Police have been told the repairs may last for much of the day.” Dominion should sub-contract out to the Geek Squad, maybe buy the total protection package too so that we can get this taken care of quickly when it happens again next week.
I’m eagerly awaiting the meta-story on The Onion about their newspaper box getting housed.
A story on acting out on fear of traffic signals — oh wait, that would have indicated a bicyclist.
Indeed on the Onion box! That was the first thing I noticed! The fire extinguishers just make it a better photo. Anyone know how to share that specific photo on FB?
quit staring at the hot skankily dressed chicks on the sidewalks and just drive.
Donaldson Run is practically raining with them.
very bummed about the car. that is not getting fixed.
That car is ugly. Hopefully he understands its 2011 and he will get a new model car.
It’s probably one of the better made cars on the road still, it’s a shame it’s going to be totaled.
Word. Between my wife and I, we have owned three 1970-1980 Benzes and can attest to the fact that they are some of the best cars ever built. Ever!
Bite your tongue.
Why can’t I complain about someone using a term that uses innocent people as an insult? Or, better yet, the comment simply edited to get rid of it?
unfortunately every single one of us who drives will arrive at the point where we must decide if we are too old to drive. It’s a very hard issue for people to discuss and it’s even harder to accept the fact that you are too old to be independent.
Also – I like that car – and oldie but a goodie!
That’s a shame about the old Benz. Not too many diesel coupes around, they all seem to be sedans.
I want to know whether this accident was road-head related.
+1
Hey shame on you
Sources confirm that the elderly driver mistakenly thought the Shirlington WalMart’s grand opening was today and that he was in a race to pick up some doorbusters before they ran out.
We really need to get a lot of these olds off the road, they are a hazard to everyone. I watched in horror last weekend as an old backed her late model Pontiac into another car while trying to parallel park in front of Lyon Hall and then drove off in embarassment.
There are plenty of younger drivers who are hazards to everyone around them. 20 and 30 somethings texting on their phones while they should be looking at the road. Other drivers fiddling with the radio buttons. Young drivers speeding through red lights or racing through yellow lights.
If you’re going to ban a group of riders for bad behavior, you’d probably have to ban almost every age group.
“Youngs” do that too. We’ll see how you feel about giving up the keys when you are an “old.”
Younger people might be bad drivers, but it’s due to a lack of skill and experience, or attitude – all correctable issues. Olds have permanent and non-reversable issues such as loss of sight, worsening motor controls, senility and slowed reaction times. Once those problems set in, it is time to take away their keys and stop licensing them.
easier said than done. Loss of the ability to drive really crushes the spirit of the elderly. No – I’m not one of them yet.
Younger drivers tend to drive faster, making them more dangerous. Maybe attitude is correctable, but not always. And what happens during the long time that it takes to correct those attitudes? Probably a few high-speed accidents.
Sure, some older drivers shouldn’t be on the roads. But you can’t make a blanket statement about keeping all “olds” off the roads because some older drivers are no longer competent drivers. I’m not so sure texting is a temporary “condition”. Seems like a lot of people are addicted to their cellphones/smartphones.
An interesting recent study to throw into the mix:
“Overprotective parents, hand over the car keys: A new study finds that kids may be safer when their grandparents drive than when mom and dad are behind the wheel.
That’s the surprising conclusion of research published today in the journal Pediatrics, which found that children involved in car crashes with grandparent drivers had half the risk of being injured as kids riding with their parents.”
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43758936/ns/today-today_health/
This is a fast pace world. If you can’t keep up than move out of the way. The slow drivers are the most dangerous. They drive too conversative and the slighest thing that happens they go in panic mode and that leads to the result of crashes. My personal opinion is that they shouldn’t be allowed on the Beltway.
Sooo if the speed limit is 55 on I66, someone driving around doing 85 is driving safer than someone driving 65?
Do we really care about what type of car crashed into the pole? Wanna give us the paint job info too???
[...] a news story on the Arlnow blog http://www.arlnow.com about a car crashing into a power substation http://www.arlnow.com/2011/07/18/traffic-light-dark-after-accident-in-pentagon-city/ . Several people noticed that the car also crashed into a stand carrying free copies of satirical [...]