Approximately 313 people were killed on roads in the D.C. region in 2022, according to statistics compiled by DCist/WAMU. Traffic fatality numbers are typically finalized a few months into the new year, but preliminary analysis shows that last year was the second straight year in which the death toll claimed more than 300 lives.

Fatality rates are the highest they’ve been in 15 years, despite local governments’ efforts to curb the trend with new infrastructure, education campaigns, and enforcement.

Officials with the regional Transportation Planning Board say the challenges of the pandemic – namely higher speeds and more aggressive driving – have not faded away. Fatalities on highways remain high both regionally and nationally.

“We know that roads have not always been built to protect all users but to move vehicles and the people within them efficiently,” board chair Pam Sebesky wrote in a recent op-ed. “Driver behavior is a major contributor to roadway fatalities and serious injury crashes.

“Safety features in our vehicles have made the occupants of the vehicles safer and have reduced the chances of crashes, but behaviors like speeding and distracted driving have put the safety of non-motorists on the roads at greater risk.”

Prince George’s County again tops the list with 117 people killed, about 11.8 traffic fatalities per 100,000 people. The region’s other counties with big, fast highways, like Prince William and Fairfax, round out the top three jurisdictions with traffic fatalities above 5 per 100,000 people.

The District, Prince George’s County, and Alexandria were the only jurisdictions with fewer deaths than 2021.

DDOT Turning Page On Vision Zero

District Department of Transportation officials re-launched Vision Zero efforts this year, after acknowledging it likely won’t meet the goal of zero deaths by 2024.

“Our original target of achieving zero deaths by 2024 was ambitious and has not been without its challenges,” Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote on Vision Zero’s revamped website. “But we are beginning to see the fruits of the many traffic safety initiatives started within the past seven years, and the many lessons learned have helped us identify critical needs — such as new models of project development and enforcement — that we must implement with urgency.”

The department is focusing its efforts on treating high-crash corridors and intersections. They also shifted to a “safe systems” approach, noting that one agency and one jurisdiction alone can’t achieve a Vision Zero goal. The DMV has to make sure vehicles are safe, MPD has to enforce traffic laws, and DDOT must create safe streets, a presentation noted.

D.C. saw seven fewer traffic deaths this year. DDOT Director Everett Lott says it’s hard to pinpoint one reason but said he does feel the work is starting to pay off. He cited increased funds for more traffic control and school safety officer, education campaigns, and infrastructure projects to physically change streets.

D.C. is doubling the number of traffic enforcement cameras coming next year and completing major infrastructure projects like a protected bike lane on 9th Street NW from Shaw to Downtown and a smaller, slower C Street NW near RFK stadium.

Safety advocates say making streets narrower and slower is one of the best ways to prevent traffic fatalities. But these types of projects take time. Lott said he’d like projects to move faster but know his staff is working diligently to implement bigger changes. Meanwhile, he highlighted quick fixes to areas like Wheeler Road SE, which had multiple fatalities in past years. He says the temporary changes have slowed traffic on Wheeler Road and resulted in fewer crashes.

The D.C. Council has also passed a series of laws aimed at curbing traffic fatalities including banning right turns at red lights by 2025, allowing cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs if the intersection is clear, and making bus service free, which they hope will reduce the number of cars on the road.

Across the region

Virginia is focusing its education efforts on seatbelt use, reducing speed, eliminating drunk driving, and pedestrian issues.

Meanwhile, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) saw promising news last year. A report released in December showed a 10% decrease in alcohol-and-drug-related fatalities on roads from 2020 (95) to 2021 (85). However, there were 500 more non-fatal crashes involving alcohol and drugs than in 2020.

“We are grateful to see the progress made in the number of fatalities in our region but there is still a lot of work to do” WRAP President Kurt Erickson said in a news release. “We are still averaging 28 DUI arrests and 10 drunk driving crashes every single day.”

“Our region’s leaders have committed to a future where pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists coexist safely within our transportation networks,” Sebesky wrote. “Achieving this vision is crucial to accomplishing our overarching goal: a safe, sustainable, and thriving region for all our residents.

“True equity among the multimodal users of our transportation system cannot be obtained unless all users know they are protected while using our network.”