The District of Columbia has authorized police overtime to monitor intersections and hired a full-time pedestrian-safety coordinator. Fairfax County has a special pedestrian task force and spent millions to add sidewalks on busy streets. And Montgomery County has installed hundreds of additional “countdown” crosswalk signals.
Despite the regionwide effort, pedestrian deaths and what officials call “life-changing” injuries are on the rise.
The District had 16 pedestrian deaths in 2005, a 40 percent increase over 2004 and up from a record low of 10 in 2002. D.C. has already had seven pedestrian deaths in 2006, officials said.
Montgomery County has already had four pedestrian deaths in 2006, said police spokesman Derek Baliles. Ten pedestrians were killed in the county in 2005. Fairfax has also had seven deaths this year, compared with 10 in 2005, police said.
Approximately 3,000 pedestrians are involved in crashes with motor vehicles every year in the Washington metro region, of which 92 percent sustained one or more injuries, according to a recent study by Fairfax-based Inova Regional Trauma Center. The report says 17 percent of those injuries result in average hospital charges per patient of $17,000 to $30,000.
Across the region, the number of “life-changing” injuries each year numbers in the thousands.
Dr. Samir Fakhry, chief of Trauma Services at Inova Fairfax Hospital, said new vehicle safety standards could help reduce the severity of injuries. Fakhry said automakers are finding ways to improve their vehicles, including front fender mounts to better absorb impacts.
At a glance
» In the District and Montgomery County, pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for nearly 40 percent of those killed on the roads in 2005.
» Officials blame the increase on growing populations across the region.
» A regional “Street Smart” education initiative has been airing television and radio commericials promoting pedestrian safety.
» All jurisdictions say they rarely write jaywalking or other pedestrian citations.
