Fairfax’s High-Risk Roads: Pedestrian Accidents on Richmond Highway (Route 1) and Leesburg Pike

Fairfax County’s roads are some of the busiest in Northern Virginia, connecting neighborhoods, businesses, and major commuter routes across the region. Yet, for pedestrians, these same corridors can be perilous. High traffic volumes, inadequate infrastructure, and driver negligence have made areas like Richmond Highway (Route 1) and Leesburg Pike (Route 7) some of the most dangerous places to walk in the entire state. Despite years of planning and partial improvements, serious pedestrian injuries and fatalities continue to rise, revealing a public safety crisis that affects every resident who walks, bikes, or uses public transit in Fairfax County.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident, you do not have to face the aftermath alone. An experienced Northern Virginia pedestrian accident lawyer can help you understand your rights, investigate the crash, and pursue the compensation you deserve. At Jennifer Porter Law, PLLC, our team is dedicated to protecting pedestrians and holding negligent drivers accountable. Call (571) 532-9070 today for a free consultation and take the first step toward justice and recovery.

The Perilous Reality for Pedestrians in Fairfax County

To understand the dangers faced by those walking along Richmond Highway and Leesburg Pike, one must first recognize the broader and deeply troubling landscape of pedestrian safety in Fairfax County. The county has become the epicenter of pedestrian-involved accidents in Northern Virginia, where the simple act of crossing the street carries life-threatening risk.

The statistics are stark. In Fairfax County, a collision involving a pedestrian is 54 times more likely to result in death than one involving only passenger vehicles. Pedestrians represent just about 1% of total crashes, yet they account for roughly 40% of all traffic fatalities. This imbalance exposes the fundamental vulnerability of people on foot and the lethal consequences of infrastructure and driver behaviors that fail to protect them. When an error occurs on the road, the pedestrian almost always bears the full cost.

While neighboring jurisdictions such as Arlington and Alexandria may have higher crash rates when adjusted for population, Fairfax consistently records the highest total number of pedestrian crashes and serious injuries in the region. For residents and commuters, this means the threat is not abstract. It is a daily, visible danger embedded in their communities.

Over the past several years, that danger has only intensified. Despite occasional fluctuations in annual fatality counts, the overall trend shows a steady rise in both pedestrian-involved crashes and serious injuries across the county. This persistent increase makes clear that the underlying hazards on Fairfax’s roads have not been resolved. A lower number of deaths in a single year may reflect faster emergency response times or chance rather than genuine safety improvements. The steady growth in total incidents points instead to roads and intersections that remain fundamentally unsafe for those on foot.

Richmond Highway (U.S. Route 1)

While danger exists across Fairfax County, data consistently identify Richmond Highway as the single most lethal corridor for pedestrians in all of Northern Virginia. An analysis of crash data from January 2024 to April 2025 by Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (NOVA FSS) found that Fairfax County’s Richmond Highway South corridor recorded the highest number of pedestrian and cyclist Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) incidents in the entire region.

Ongoing Dangers and Community Impact

This pattern is not new. For years, Route 1 has been officially recognized as an area with “much higher than average fatality rates” and has remained a chronic danger zone for pedestrians, particularly in the Hybla Valley and Woodlawn communities. News releases from the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) regularly report tragic and often preventable crashes along this stretch, many involving hit-and-run drivers. Recent collisions near intersections such as Richmond Highway and Belford Drive, Buckman Road, and Brevard Court illustrate how persistent driver negligence and poor roadway design combine to create a deadly environment for those on foot.

In an effort to address the mounting death toll, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Fairfax County reduced the speed limit to 35 mph along a seven-mile segment of the highway in May 2023. However, this measure has not been enough to stem the tide of tragedy. Only five months later, in October 2023, a pedestrian was struck and killed in a hit-and-run while attempting to cross the same section where the speed reduction had been implemented.

Community sentiment reflects the limits of these efforts. In a survey conducted by Patch, 85.3% of local respondents expressed continued safety concerns for pedestrians along Richmond Highway, while 53.6% said conditions have not improved since the speed limit change. Respondents cited high vehicle speeds, limited police enforcement, and unsafe crossings that force pedestrians to traverse wide lanes outside of marked crosswalks. These findings highlight a significant disconnect between policy measures and the lived experience of residents, who still perceive and endure daily danger along the corridor.

Slow Progress Toward Safety Improvements

To address these chronic issues, VDOT has proposed a $465 million improvement project that would widen the highway, add dedicated cycle tracks, and install continuous sidewalks along the entire stretch of Richmond Highway. While these upgrades are long overdue, they offer no immediate relief. Construction is not expected to begin until 2027, leaving pedestrians and cyclists to navigate current hazardous conditions for several more years.

This extended timeline is especially concerning for the socioeconomically vulnerable communities that border the corridor. Many residents in these neighborhoods depend heavily on walking and public transportation and therefore face a disproportionate risk of being injured or killed. Until tangible improvements are realized, Richmond Highway will remain one of Fairfax County’s most dangerous and inequitable roads.

Northern Virginia Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Jennifer Porter

Leesburg Pike (Route 7)

If Richmond Highway is defined by its sheer volume of fatal incidents, Leesburg Pike serves as a textbook example of how auto-centric road design produces inherently dangerous conditions that lead to predictable and tragic outcomes. Between January 2021 and July 2024, Leesburg Pike ranked as the second most dangerous road in Fairfax County for pedestrians and cyclists, with 43 recorded crashes, 23 of which resulted in a severe injury or death.

A Corridor Shaped by Design Failures

For years, advocacy groups and county transportation plans have identified the corridor, particularly the areas around Bailey’s Crossroads and Seven Corners, as among the most hazardous in the region. The tragic death of 68-year-old Nguyet Ly in December 2021, who was struck while walking along a section with no sidewalk, exposed the compounding design flaws that make Route 7 so perilous.

Following this incident, an analysis by the Coalition for Smarter Growth highlighted a series of critical failures in the corridor’s design:

• Missing Infrastructure: Large sections of Leesburg Pike lack sidewalks, forcing pedestrians into active traffic lanes with no physical separation from vehicles.
• Extreme Crossing Distances: On the segment where Ms. Ly was killed, there is more than 1,600 feet, the equivalent of over four city blocks, between marked and signalized crosswalks. For anyone trying to reach a bus stop or business, mid-block crossings become a practical necessity rather than a careless decision.
• Design that Encourages Speed: Curbside lanes in this area measure roughly 16 feet wide, far exceeding modern safety standards, which recommend 10 to 13-foot lanes for arterial roads. Wider lanes are directly associated with higher vehicle speeds and more severe crashes.

VDOT’s initial response to Ms. Ly’s death was limited to placing a sign warning drivers to “expect pedestrians” along a 40 mph roadway, an action that failed to provide any physical protection or meaningful safety improvement. This minimal intervention illustrates a systemic preference for maintaining vehicle flow over safeguarding human life.

Incremental Change Amid Systemic Risk

In the aftermath, sustained community advocacy prompted VDOT and Fairfax County to begin implementing modest safety measures. These included lowering the speed limit to 35 mph and funding partial sidewalk connections along critical stretches. However, many local residents and safety organizations view these changes as slow and insufficient, given the corridor’s long history of preventable tragedies.

The fundamental problem remains the road’s outdated design. On a street where crosswalks are separated by 1,600 feet, a pedestrian crossing mid-block is not behaving recklessly but responding to an impossible environment. The blame often placed on pedestrians for “jaywalking” ignores the reality that the infrastructure itself creates the conditions for danger.

Leesburg Pike stands as a powerful example of design-induced risk, where unsafe engineering choices, not individual behavior, are the primary cause of repeated loss of life. Until its layout is fundamentally redesigned to prioritize people over cars, the corridor will continue to expose pedestrians to unacceptable and preventable levels of harm.

Key Factors Driving Pedestrian Collisions

The tragedies on Richmond Highway and Leesburg Pike are not random events. They are the predictable result of a combination of factors related to road design, environmental conditions, and human behavior. When data from across Fairfax County is examined together, a clear anatomy of a typical pedestrian accident begins to emerge.

The Dangers of Design

The physical characteristics of Fairfax County’s major roads are one of the most significant contributors to pedestrian risk.

• Speed: Vehicle speed is the single greatest factor determining the severity of a crash. Collisions on roads with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or less are three times less likely to be fatal than those on higher-speed roads. Both Route 1 and Route 7 have historically featured speed limits of 40 miles per hour or higher, creating a fundamentally more dangerous environment for pedestrians.
• Lighting: Darkness is a major risk multiplier. Four out of every five fatal pedestrian crashes in Fairfax County occur after dark. A crash that happens in an area without street lighting is 5.3 times more likely to be fatal than one that occurs during daylight hours.
• Sidewalks and Crosswalks: The presence of basic pedestrian infrastructure dramatically improves survival odds. Crashes on roads with sidewalks are 66 percent less likely to be fatal. Yet, as seen along Leesburg Pike, sidewalks and crosswalks are often missing or spaced too far apart. Intersections themselves are another area of concern. Contrary to popular belief, nearly half of all pedestrian-involved crashes in Fairfax County between 2015 and 2022 occurred at or near intersections, not mid-block.

When roads prioritize speed and vehicle flow over pedestrian safety, tragedy becomes an inevitable outcome. The built environment of Fairfax County’s major corridors reflects decades of car-first planning, and until design shifts to protect those on foot, these dangers will persist.

The Element of Time and Light

Pedestrian crashes are not evenly distributed throughout the day or year. The risk of serious injury or death spikes during certain times and conditions.

• Time of Day: While total crashes peak during the afternoon commute from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., the most severe incidents, including fatalities, occur later in the evening between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. This period combines heavier traffic with darkness and a higher likelihood of fatigued or distracted drivers.
• Time of Year: The deadliest months for pedestrians in Fairfax County are October through December. The combination of shorter daylight hours following the end of daylight saving time, poorer weather, and increased holiday traffic creates a dangerous mix that heightens risk for those on foot.

Patterns in timing and visibility reveal that pedestrian danger is far from random. They’re predictable and preventable. Recognizing when and why risks spike, local authorities can target interventions that save lives.

Driver Negligence as a Primary Cause

While roadway design creates the conditions for danger, driver behavior is often the immediate cause of a collision.

• Failure to Yield: This is the most frequently reported dangerous behavior in “near-miss” reports submitted by Fairfax County residents, accounting for 59 percent of all incidents.
• Speeding and Distraction: Speeding plays a role in 41 percent of near-miss incidents, while distracted driving is cited in 26 percent. These behaviors, combined with fast-moving traffic and poor visibility, significantly raise the risk of fatal outcomes.
• Disregard for the Law: The high number of failure-to-yield incidents reflects a widespread neglect of Virginia’s pedestrian safety laws. Under state law, drivers must come to a complete stop for pedestrians in both marked and unmarked crosswalks and remain stopped until the pedestrian has cleared their lane. This rule is frequently ignored on Fairfax County’s busiest roads, turning every crossing into a potential life-or-death situation.

Even the safest infrastructure cannot protect against willful recklessness. Until drivers consistently respect speed limits, remain attentive, and follow pedestrian right-of-way laws, the cycle of avoidable crashes will continue across Fairfax County’s streets.

Your Rights and Recourse After a Pedestrian Accident

For a pedestrian struck by a vehicle, the physical and emotional recovery is only the beginning of a long and difficult journey. The legal process that follows can be complex and intimidating, especially in Virginia, which has one of the strictest liability laws in the nation.

The greatest legal obstacle for injured pedestrians in Virginia is the state’s rule of pure contributory negligence. This law states that if an injured person is found to be even 1 percent at fault for the incident that caused their injuries, they are completely barred from recovering any financial compensation from the driver who was 99 percent at fault.

Insurance companies and defense attorneys are well-versed in using this rule to their advantage. They often attempt to shift even a small portion of blame onto the victim by arguing that the pedestrian:

• Was looking at their phone while crossing the street
• Was wearing dark clothing at night
• Crossed outside of a marked crosswalk, even if no safe crossing was available nearby
• Failed to make eye contact with the driver

These arguments can severely undermine an otherwise valid claim. As a result, the injured party faces an immense burden of proof. They must not only demonstrate that the driver was negligent but also defend themselves against accusations of shared fault. This is why the guidance of an experienced pedestrian accident attorney is so critical.

A successful claim depends on a swift and detailed investigation that establishes the driver’s full responsibility for the crash. An attorney’s role in this process is to:

• Preserve Critical Evidence: Quickly secure police reports, dispatch recordings, and any available traffic camera or private surveillance footage before it is deleted or overwritten. Witnesses are identified and interviewed while their memories are still clear.
• Conduct an Expert Investigation: Work with accident reconstruction specialists to analyze the crash scene, vehicle speeds, sightlines, and other technical evidence. This helps create a clear, scientific picture of how the collision occurred and proves that the driver’s negligence caused the pedestrian’s injuries.
• Document the Full Extent of Damages: Carefully calculate all financial and personal losses. This includes current and future medical expenses, lost income, reduced earning capacity, and the deep emotional and physical suffering caused by the injury.
• Combat the Insurance Companies: Serve as a strong advocate for the victim by handling all communication with insurance adjusters and defense lawyers. The attorney’s role is to prevent insurers from exploiting Virginia’s contributory negligence rule to deny or devalue legitimate claims.

When handled effectively, a pedestrian injury case can achieve justice for the victim and create accountability for the driver whose actions caused the harm. Skilled legal representation ensures that no technicality or misdirection prevents an injured person from receiving the compensation they deserve.

Attorney Role / Duty	Purpose / What It Achieves	Examples / How It Works in Virginia
Preserve Critical Evidence	Protects key proof before it’s lost or altered, strengthening the claim.	Collects police reports, dispatch recordings, video footage, and witness statements while information is still available.
Conduct an Expert Investigation	Builds a clear understanding of how the accident happened and proves driver negligence.	Works with accident reconstruction experts to analyze speed, visibility, and scene conditions.
Document the Full Extent of Damages	Calculates all financial and personal losses to seek full compensation.	Reviews medical bills, lost wages, and long-term effects of the injury.
Combat the Insurance Companies	Defends the victim from unfair blame and low settlement offers.	Handles insurer communications and disputes attempts to apply contributory negligence.

Moving Forward Toward Justice and Safer Roads

The dangers on Richmond Highway and Leesburg Pike are not inevitable. They are the result of years of road design choices that have favored speed and convenience over safety and accessibility. Every pedestrian injury or fatality on these corridors represents a preventable tragedy that deeply affects families and communities across Fairfax County. As the region continues to expand, the need for safer, more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure has never been more urgent. 

True progress will depend on collaboration between transportation planners, law enforcement, and community advocates to ensure that no one has to risk their life simply by walking along their neighborhood streets.

For victims of pedestrian accidents, accountability and recovery start with strong legal advocacy. The team at Jennifer Porter Law is committed to protecting the rights of injured pedestrians and holding negligent drivers responsible for their actions. If you or someone you love has been hurt in a pedestrian collision, call (571) 532-9070 today for a free consultation. Let our experienced attorneys help you seek justice, rebuild your life, and stand up for safer roads across Northern Virginia.