Virginia Study Catches Near-Miss Hotspots Before Pedestrians Die

A survey conducted by Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets analyzes where pedestrians face ‘near-misses’ with cars, indicating traffic safety hotspots that could be improved.

As Vernon Miles explains in FFX Now, “The survey said 52% of the Near Miss reports noted that children were present and cited failure to yield as a major risk.” The data comes from the Near Miss survey app, which the survey report notes likely skews data to more well-off neighborhoods, where people are more likely to use the app and report data. However, the data reveals that near misses are concentrated at particular intersections, offering valuable insight for local planners. While near-misses are not typically accounted for in traffic injury data, surveys like this can identify dangerous street segments before people get seriously injured or killed.

“The survey said the goal should be a 15% reduction in serious injuries, with measures such as more complete streets designs and speed limits lowered to less than 25 miles per hour on more residential roads.”