Pedestrian Deaths In Fairfax County Surge To Decade High In 2022

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Drivers in Fairfax County struck and killed at least 29 pedestrians in 2022, the most pedestrian deaths in a single year in the county since at least 2010, according to state data.

The previous highest number of pedestrian deaths in Fairfax County occurred in 2018 and 2019, when there were 17 fatalities each year.

The 29 pedestrian fatalities in Fairfax County in 2022 are up from 14 deaths in 2021. Fairfax County also saw 207 pedestrian injuries from vehicle crashes in 2022. The number of pedestrian injuries in the county was 181 in 2021.

The Fairfax County Police Department has been working with several organizations and other county agencies on ways to enhance pedestrian safety. In September, the FCPD kicked off the “Take A Moment” campaign as a way to reduce injuries and fatalities of pedestrians and bicyclists.

In November, the FCPD's Motor Squad and patrol officers conducted a High Visibility Enforcement Campaign in the Route 1 corridor to help reduce pedestrian-related crashes. Through their efforts in November, more than 870 summonses were issued, FCPS spokeswoman Sgt. Tara Gerhard said in an email to Patch.

The FCPD also partners with local organizations like Street Smart and the Washington Regional Alcohol Program to help reduce pedestrian-related crashes, Gerhard said.

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The increase in pedestrian deaths in Fairfax County is following a national trend. In 2021, drivers struck and killed an estimated 7,485 people on foot in the U.S., the most pedestrian deaths in a single year in four decades and an average of 20 deaths every day, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

“We must address the root causes of the pedestrian safety crisis — speeding and other dangerous driving behaviors, inadequate infrastructure, and roads designed for vehicle speed instead of safety — to reverse this trend and ensure people can walk safely,” Governors Highway Safety Association Executive Director Jonathan Adkins said in a statement.

One of the most recent pedestrian deaths in Fairfax County occurred on Arlington Blvd. in the Falls Church area of the county.

Tomas Escudero Machado, 76, of Falls Church was killed at the Westmoreland Blvd intersection with Arlington Blvd. in the West Falls Church area shortly before 6 p.m. on Dec. 18 after he was struck by a driver who may have been speeding.

Machado of Falls Church was attempting to cross the eastbound lanes of Arlington Blvd. from the north side of the road. The driver of a 2003 Honda Accord was traveling eastbound on Arlington Boulevard. The driver struck Machado in the roadway and continued traveling eastbound on the highway, traveling over two medians and striking multiple street signs as well as a pole before coming to a stop.

“The driver’s speed remains under investigation,” the Fairfax County Police Department said. “There is no crosswalk at this intersection.”

Neighboring jurisdictions are also seeing a rise in pedestrian deaths, according to Virginia’s Traffic Records Electronic Data System (TREDS). As of Dec. 29, Prince William County had already recorded more than 70 crashes involving pedestrians, including 11 fatalities and 81 injuries in 2022.

In 2021, Prince William County reported seven pedestrian fatalities on county roads. The previous decade high in Prince William County was nine pedestrian fatalities that were recorded in 2012.

Speeding and Distracted Driving

All crash fatalities in Virginia, including pedestrian deaths, reached a 14-year high in 2021, mirroring a national trend in fatal crashes caused by speeding and distracted driving, according to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

In 2021, 968 people died in crashes on Virginia roads — a 14.3 percent increase over 2020 and the highest number of deaths since 2007, when 1,026 people died in crashes in the state.

In Virginia, the DMV is working on strategies to reduce fatal crashes, including education and enforcement to grant funding, news media engagement and advertising.

"This trend is poised to continue unless Virginians take action," Acting DMV Commissioner Linda Ford said in a statement. "Most people want to contribute to something greater; by driving safely, you can truly make a difference, not just in your life, but in the lives of everyone with whom you share the road."

One of the most dangerous areas of Fairfax County for pedestrians is Bailey's Crossroads. In March, residents held a rally to call on Fairfax County to invest in sidewalks, crosswalks, better lighting and signage that will make the area safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The main roads — Route 7 and Columbia Pike — and the entrances and exits to the many retail centers in the area are unsafe because of the lack of sidewalks, bus stops without crosswalks, and heavy high-speed traffic, according to residents.

In December 2021, a woman who was walking in the shoulder along Route 7 in the Bailey's Crossroads area was struck by a car and later died at the hospital. The area of Route 7 where the resident was walking lacked a sidewalk.

More recently, a driver was charged in a Bailey's Crossroads crash that killed a pedestrian in October. After an investigation, Fairfax County Police obtained warrants charging Yaraliz Rivera Rosado, 26, of Alexandria with felony hit-and-run.

In November, a teenage girl died after a car hit her while she was walking to her high school in the Bailey's Crossroads area. The teen, identified by her family as 17-year-old Lesly Diaz-Bonilla, was in the crosswalk on Columbia Pike at the Tyler Street intersection, when a silver Toyota sedan traveling down Columbia Pike hit her as it drove through the intersection just before 9 a.m., NBC4 reported.

"While there are varying reasons crashes occur, we need the help of each and every community member to reduce crashes," the FCPD's Gerhard told Patch. "Through messaging on social media, outreach to local media and enforcement, we are aiming to gain voluntary compliance."

"We’d like to remind our community to allow plenty of time to get to your destination, slow down, avoid distractions, obey traffic signs and signals," she said.

For pedestrians, they should try to wear bright-colored or reflective clothing, use sidewalks when possible, cross at well-lit intersections and obey traffic signals.

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