Why a Memorial for Victims of Traffic Violence Matters (Op-Ed)
By Peter Norton Op-ed: The Vietnam wall changed the way Americans think about war. For traffic violence, the transformative power of a well-conceived national memorial is still untapped. READ THE FULL ARTICLE…
A Virginia law to protect pedestrians has almost never been used (WaPo)
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…
Fairfax FSS Submits Comments Supporting Pedestrian Safety, Active Transportation, and Public Transportation in AT&T Site Development Plans
Published January 12, 2025 The advisory board of Fairfax Families for Safe Streets submitted comments to Fairfax County leaders asking them to commit to improving pedestrian safety, active transportation infrastructure, and public transportation with approved site plans, should they decide to move forward with the developer’s proposed project at 3033 Chain Bridge Road, commonly know as the AT&T site. Our comments are available here: AT&T Development Pedestrian Safety Comments…
PRESS RELEASE: NORTHERN VIRGINIA’S MOST FATAL ROADS FOR PEDESTRIANS
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.…
NBC4 Washington covers Fairfax County’s 20th ped/bike fatality in 2024
By Julie Carey, NBC Washington Published December 6, 2024 The teen’s death becomes the 20th pedestrian or cyclist fatality in Fairfax County so far this year, double the number killed last year. “The numbers are going in the wrong direction,” said Chris French from Fairfax Families for Safe Streets. Pedestrian- and bicyclist-involved crashes steadily increased in the county each year from 2020, French said. There have been 211 pedestrian-involved crashes leading to injury in Fairfax County this year, French said. That’s down from last year’s count of 237 and up from 134 in 2020. Watch the full story: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/girl-14-struck-and-killed-by-car-in-fairfax-county/3786120…
NoVA FSS Near Miss survey captures a cluster of reports in Del Ray
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…
NBC News Story Referenced Our Near Miss Dashboard!
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…
A month of fatal pedestrian crashes — and a month to prevent more
By The Fairfax Machine Published October 15, 2024 In two September weeks in Fairfax County, six drivers fatally struck six pedestrians from Hybla Valley to Centreville. The string of incidents made last month the county’s deadliest of the year for pedestrians — and it made Chris French, once again, reflect. “I think people have sort of numbed themselves to it: ‘Oh, it’s a shame that person got hit, but they were walking across the street,’” French, president of the Fairfax chapter of Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets, said late last week. “Almost as if they were asking for it, when these are people just trying…