Updated January 15th, 2024
2023 was another year of tragic loss and suffering for pedestrians and bicyclists in the Northern Virginia region. Our communities experienced 558 vehicle crashes involving pedestrians or bicyclists, which resulted in 11 pedestrian deaths and 106 serious injuries1.
86% of the serious injuries were pedestrians and the majority of these injuries occurred in Fairfax County. Nearly 30% of crashes involving pedestrians in Fairfax County resulted in a death or serious injury.
Specific to Fairfax County, total crashes involving pedestrians have increased over the last few years – from 144 in 2021, to 191 in 2022, to 233 in 2023. Despite a decrease in the number of pedestrian fatalities in 2023, there was a slight increase in the number of serious pedestrian injuries (57 in 2023 as compared to 53 in 2022).
Data Source: Traffic Records Electronic Data System (TREDS) maintained by the Virginia Department of
Motor Vehicles. Fairfax County data includes the towns of Clifton, Herndon, and Vienna.
Each pedestrian crash is more than a number or statistic. There is lasting pain for those involved, their families, friends, colleagues, and our community. Please support us in urging our local and state leaders to step-up and meaningfully address risks of death and serious injury to area pedestrians and bicyclists.
- A “serious injury” is a non-fatal injury resulting in one or more of the following: Severe laceration resulting in exposure of underlying tissues, muscle, organs, or resulting in significant loss of blood; Broken or distorted extremity (arm or leg); Crush injuries; Suspected skull, chest, or abdominal injury other than bruises or minor lacerations; Significant burns (second and third degree burns over 10 percent or more of the body); Unconsciousness when taken from the crash scene; Paralysis. ↩︎