Public officials remember the pedestrians killed on the road

Public officials from Fairfax County, Arlington, and Alexandria took part in the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims Nov. 19 to remember the pedestrians killed in crashes during the past year and to talk about the need for safer streets.

The event, held at Wakefield High School in Arlington, was hosted by Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets.

Each of the 18 pedestrians killed in one of the three jurisdictions – ages 23-76 – was represented by an empty chair. A 19th chair represented the “unnamed pedestrians killed and seriously injured in Northern Virginia.” During the event, attendees placed burning candles on the chairs.

“Every one of these folks was a mother, a father, a son, or a daughter,” said Arlington Chief of Police Andy Penn. During his three-decade career in law enforcement, he’s had to tell people they’ve lost a loved one in a traffic crash, “and it’s gut-wrenching for everyone involved.”

One of the pedestrian victims remembered at the event was Suzi Hamlin. Her husband, Rich Hamlin, told the audience she had a full life and many more things to accomplish.

Suzi and Rich had been visiting the area from California, when Suzi, age 71, was struck and killed by a drunk driver going the wrong way on Leesburg Pike close to where Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax County converge.

Also in attendance were the parents of Leeyan Hanjia Yan, one of two Oakton High School students struck and killed by a speeding car on Blake Lane in Fairfax on June 7, 2022. Her father remembers Leeyan, his only child, as having the talent to connect people with one another. After several delays, the driver, Usman Shahid, is expected to go on trial in April.

The lives of crash survivors are often changed forever. Miranda Diaz, a student at West Springfield High School, was driving on Old Keene Mill Road in Springfield in April during a rainstorm when her car hydroplaned and crashed into two other cars. Her car, a 2009 Ford Focus, didn’t have airbags.

Miranda spent two weeks in the hospital with a broken arm, broken shoulder, and damaged sinuses. She still doesn’t have a sense of smell and gets frequent migraines.

Since the accident, she feels she’s become more mature and is a more cautious driver; her peers not so much. “The kids were making jokes about it. They didn’t understand,” she says.

Mike Doyle founded Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets in 2017 after he was struck by a driver in a crosswalk in Alexandria. He called the 18 pedestrian deaths – and many more near misses – in the past year “unacceptable.”

In Fairfax County, there were 177 crashes involving pedestrians, nine pedestrian fatalities, and 37 crashes resulting in serious injuries to pedestrians so far in 2023. There were 133 pedestrian fatalities in Fairfax County between 2015 and 2022.

Doyle blames the increases in pedestrian-related crashes on speeding vehicles, the increased weight of vehicles, the lack of enforcement resources, distracted drivers, and distracted pedestrians.

NoVA FSS is urging public officials to pursue three action items: increase the use of automated speed enforcement; implement “quick build” traffic calming projects; and improve crash reporting for vulnerable road users.  

Del. Kathy Tran called on VDOT and other transportation agencies to incorporate data on crashes and near misses in their decision-making processes.

Fairfax County Deputy Executive Rachel Flynn said the Board of Supervisors agreed to adopt a new, holistic model for street design that takes into account the comfort level of pedestrians. She said streets should have fewer driving lanes to slow speeds, signalized pedestrian crossings every 300 to 500 feet, and street trees, which have a calming effect.   

The county is releasing a report soon highlighting the inequities involved in crashes, Flynn said. Pedestrians most likely to be struck tend to be minorities living in underserved areas.

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson urged state lawmakers to give local jurisdictions more authority to expand technology-based traffic enforcement. “We know what works,” he said. “We just need the will and the wherewithal to make it happen.”