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Pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries have risen sharply along Fairfax County’s Richmond Highway corridor, with 62 people killed or badly hurt over nine years, according to an analysis by Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets. Twenty-two of those people died.
The safety group identified a 6.6-mile stretch between Belvoir Road and South Kings Highway as the corridor’s most dangerous section. That area accounted for 58% of the serious crashes along Richmond Highway, also known as Route 1.
Crashes involving a death or serious injury increased from three in 2018 to 11 in 2024—nearly a fourfold jump.
Darkness was a major factor. The analysis found that 77% of serious crashes and 95% of fatalities occurred after dark. More than half of the nighttime crashes happened on sections with streetlights, which the group said indicates that the existing lighting may be inadequate.
About 65% of serious crashes and 82% of fatalities occurred outside marked crosswalks or intersections. Fifty-eight percent of crashes happened within 200 feet of a bus stop, where riders may cross the road midblock instead of walking to a distant controlled crossing.
Alcohol was involved in 47% of serious crashes across the corridor, according to the analysis. That share has exceeded 51% since the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Richmond Highway and Huntington Avenue, alcohol was involved in 80% of serious crashes. The group cited nearby motels, a Virginia ABC store and a homeless shelter as contributing factors.
The findings come as Bus Rapid Transit stops are planned along the corridor. Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets is urging officials to conduct a dedicated pedestrian and cyclist safety study before construction begins.
Two proposed transit stops are next to existing crash clusters, the analysis found. Current plans also call for landscaped medians without physical barriers for pedestrians.
The group wants the Virginia Department of Transportation, Fairfax County and WMATA to improve lighting at the five highest-priority crash locations. It is also seeking redesigned intersections at four bus stops to provide single-crossing pedestrian access, along with pedestrian refuge islands and HAWK signals at heavily used midblock crossings.