A new analysis of incidents where people were nearly hit with a vehicle finds that “failure to yield” is the No. 1 risk factor in Arlington.
The study by Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets, a pedestrian safety advocacy group, found that roughly 70% of responses listed this issue as the top cause of “near misses,” followed by speeding and obstructed bike lanes.
Since 2019, the organization has collected 379 reports on near miss incidents in Arlington, according to a report released this week. They are most heavily concentrated on the following streets.
- N. Quincy Street: 42 reports
- Fairfax Drive: 26 reports
- S. Arlington Mill Drive: 17 reports
- Langston Blvd: 15 reports
- Wilson Blvd: 15 reports
- Columbia Pike area: 12 reports
A press release notes an uptick in recurring near miss reports at specific locations, as well as an increase in children being present.
“A review of respondent comments indicates that many drivers are either unaware of Virginia’s traffic laws requiring drivers to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk or are ignoring them,” the release says.
Arlington continues to pour resources into improving street safety through its Vision Zero campaign, which aims to eliminate all vehicle crashes resulting in deaths or severe injuries by 2030.
Recent investments include the installation of new speeding cameras in school zones and additional red light cameras.
A complete press release on the new report is below.
Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS), the leading pedestrian safety advocacy organization in Northern Virginia and with affiliated FSS chapters in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax (collectively NoVA FSS) has released its inaugural “Near Miss / Dangerous Location” summary report for Arlington. Arlington Near Miss Summary Report
The report highlights the long-standing and increasing risks to the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users in Arlington County. The Arlington report focuses on responses submitted to the NoVA FSS Near Miss (NM) survey from Jan 2023 to June 2024. The crowdsourced Near Miss / Dangerous Location survey reports highlight poor driver behavior. Key take aways of the report are:
- ~70% of responses cited Failure to Yield as the #1 risky issue regarding driver behavior.
- Other significant factors are:
- A discernable increase in recurring NM reports at specific locations
- An increase in children present during a NM incident
- Speeding, and then Obstructed Bike Lanes, were the next 2 most frequently sited
- Most problematic roads corridors:
- North Quincy Street
- Fairfax Drive
- Langston Boulevard
- Wilson Boulevard
- Columbia Pike
There are many other locations in Arlington where pedestrians & cyclists experience high risk encounters but the lack of the “Near Miss” (NM) reports at these locations reflects poor knowledge of the NM survey rather than no danger on the streets. One of NoVA FSS’s goals, by publishing this report, is to raise the public’s awareness of the NM app as a channel to crowdsource community members’ concerns.
A review of respondent comments indicates that many drivers are either unaware of Virginia’s traffic laws requiring drivers to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk or are ignoring them. Enforcement of traffic laws has significant room for improvement. One way is to provide greater technology and human resources to our enforcement agencies.
Each pedestrian fatality and serious injury are preventable. Our local and state elected leaders along with transportation and enforcement officials need to demonstrate a greater level of commitment and urgency in implementing comprehensive and effective solutions. Making greater investment today will save lives tomorrow.
