D.C. is lowering the speed limit on certain roads from 30 mph to 25.
The District Department of Transportation said in a statement Friday that the speed limit on Connecticut Avenue Northwest and New York Avenue Northeast had been reduced, and that the speed limit would also drop to 25 in the future on North Capitol Street/Blair Road Northwest between Harewood Road and Van Buren Street, and Wheeler Road Southeast between Wahler Place and Southern Avenue.
“DDOT joins peer cities including New York City and Seattle by reducing the speed limit in key corridors because we know reducing speed by even 5 miles per hour makes a big difference in avoiding crashes and serious injury,” DDOT Director Everett Lott said in the statement.
DDOT cited a AAA study that found that a pedestrian’s average chance of being killed when hit by a car is 10% at 23 mph, but jumps to 25% at 30 mph.
Arlington County, Virginia, is also considering recommendations from a traffic engineering study to reduce speed limits on four road segments that are principal or minor arteries. The proposal is to reduce the speed limit from 35 to 30 mph on a few roadways.
WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report.
