WASHINGTON — In an effort to improve pedestrian safety, police analysts have mapped nearly a dozen areas in Fairfax County where pedestrians are more frequently killed or seriously hurt in crashes.
Police collected data spanning from Jan. 1, 2011 through July 28, 2016 and identified the 11 problem areas:
- Centrewood Drive and Saint Germain Road, Centreville
- Lee Jackson Memorial Highway (U.S. Route 50) and Metrotech Drive, Chantilly
- Gallows Road from Arlington Boulevard (U.S. Rt. 50) to Interstate 66, Fairfax
- Leesburg Pike (Va. Route 7) from Patrick Henry Drive to Rio Drive, Falls Church
- Little River Turnpike (Va. Route 236) from Hummer Road to Woodland Road, Annandale
- 7900 block of Heritage Drive, Annandale
- 7500 block of McWhorter Place, Annandale
- Backlick Road and Hechinger Drive, Springfield
- Little River Turnpike (Va. Rt. 236) from Lincoln Avenue to Beauregard Street, Alexandria
- Lockheed Boulevard from Fordson Avenue to Richmond Highway (U.S. Route 1), Alexandria
- The 7900, 8100, 8300, 8600 and 8700 blocks of Richmond Highway (U.S. Rt. 1), Alexandria
October and November tends to be a bad time of year for pedestrians because mornings and nights are darker.
Last year, 22 people lost their lives in car crashes — 11 of them were pedestrians, according to Fairfax County police spokeswoman Tawny Wright.
Wright said eight of the 17 traffic fatalities this year were pedestrians.
Many of the accidents in the police analysis occurred around bus routes or in shopping areas. Wright said the Gallows Road and Centerwood Drive locations were among the worst in the area.
Police released the figures as part of a broader Street Smart traffic safety initiative, educational and an enforcement effort that runs Monday through Sunday, Nov. 27. Wright said police will be handing out fliers urging pedestrians to follow the rules of the road as well as ticketing speeding drivers.
WTOP’s Jenny Glick contributed to this report.
