- One the shortcomings of bicycle advocacy in northern Virginia is the lack of thorough and reliable data on crashes and safety conditions.
- A local advocacy group is trying to change this and needs our support.
FABB wants to make sure everyone is aware that our friends with Fairfax Families for Safe Streets (FFSS) is collecting “near miss” data to help identify dangerous intersections and dangerous roads for vulnerable users.
The group is working with Virginia Tech to collect information using the same basic approach as aircraft pilots use to report “near miss” incidents and identify and control hazards.
Data is reported anonymously to the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) and Police Department (FCPD) to help identify, in a real time setting, locations where potential safety issues exist that do not show up in traditional crash data sources.
If you have been the victim or a witness of a near miss in Fairfax County, either on a bike or as a pedestrian, please take a few minutes to report the incident using this survey.
Ultimate decisions on street engineering improvements and the timing and level of police traffic surveillance are the responsibility of FCDOT and FCPD professionals, but this information will help them make better choices in applying their resources.
FABB applauds the Fairfax Families for Safe Streets effort to improve safety for all people and to identify problem areas but they become crash sites. See more about their effort in this WUSA 9 report.
Interested in improving safety for vulnerable road users in Fairfax County? Contact us at [email protected].
