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By Rachel Weiner, Washington Post January 15, 2025: “In 2020, Virginia passed a law intended to make it easier to prosecute driverswho hit pedestrians or cyclists. But prosecutors across the state have brought charges under the law 32 times in the last four years. In only eight of those cases was someone convicted of the charge. It’s a national problem with what are known as “vulnerable road user” laws, which generally penalize “careless or distracted” driving that results in a serious injury or death for someone outside a car. The laws are meant to punish drivers in those scenarios who, because they weren’t speeding, drunk or…

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NoVA FSS RELEASES INAUGURAL STUDY ON VDOT’S TREDS DATA OF PEDESTRIAN / BIKE CRASHES IN ALEXANDRIA, ARLINGTON & FAIRFAX For Immediate Release: December 10, 2024 Alexandria, VA: 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 study on VDOT’s TREDS ped / bike crash data for: Each NoVA FSS chapter’s report of the TREDS data brings awareness to the long-standing and increasing risks of street safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users in the communities of Northern Virginia.…

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By James Cullum A new roundabout in Alexandria’s Warwick Village neighborhood has  resulted in a surge of near-miss complaints. The Alexandria chapter of NoVA Families for Safe Streets saw a surge of reports in its crowd-sourced Near Miss and Dangerous Locations Reporting and Dashboard. The dashboard is intended to identify roadways with high risks for pedestrians. From Sept. 19 to Nov. 7, the nonprofit reported 57 near-miss incidents related to the roundabout. Concerns include drivers speeding through the newly configured roadway with few stop signs, safety signals, and poor visibility. “The parent walking with me had to physically yank her child out of the path of a car…

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NoVA FSS participated in the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ recent Street Smart pedestrian’s street safety promotional campaign where the utility of our Near Miss crowd sourced dashboard was referenced in the NBC news story. https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/transit-safety-campaign-implements-new-immersive-way-to-gauge-drivers-attention/3753593…

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Author: Matthew Torres Published: 6:26 PM EDT September 30, 2024 Updated: 6:26 PM EDT September 30, 2024 ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A new report by a regional advocacy group found traffic near-miss incidents at the same location are happening more frequently in parts of northern Virginia. In its inaugural “Near Miss/Dangerous Location” summary report, Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS) said out of the 2,500 reports from January 2023 to June 2024, 82% had recurring dangerous events. “Whatever that location is, whatever the danger is, they see it all the time,” NoVA FSS Founder Mike Doyle said. “It’s gotten worse from two years ago.” The group began collecting data…

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March 1, 2024 Complete Streets ProgramCity of Alexandria, Virginia301 King Street, suite 2300Alexandria, VA 22314 Attn: Alex Carroll, ManagerSubject: Duke Street and Route 1 Intersection Safety Improvements On behalf of the Board of Directors of Alexandria Families for Safe Streets (AFSS), wesupport the safety improvements to Duke Street and Route 1. Both intersections areranked among the City’s high-crash intersections, and we support the City’s generalproject to eliminate fatal and severe crashes at this location. We support implementation of curb extensions, leading pedestrian intervals, pedestrianrefuges, and the raised crosswalk design, and encourage the City to adopt raisedcrosswalks at more locations throughout the City. FHWA statistics show…