PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Since early 2022, 13 pedestrians have died after getting hit by traffic along Jefferson Avenue in Newport News, making it one of the deadliest streets in the region, according to data collected by each city in Hampton Roads. This comes as no surprise to the people who live nearby.
“I work at night and I’ve seen speeders and drunk drivers and no lights, you know,” a local worker told 10 On Your Side. “And, it’s just, wow.”
Since COVID-19, pedestrian crashes as a whole have actually gone down, but the amount of fatalities have only increased. Experts said it’s due to more speeding on the roads.
“Speeding is becoming a much more bigger factor,” said Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) Principal Transportation Engineer Keith Nichols. “If you are involved in a crash and you’re a pedestrian, you’re much more likely to have severe consequences because of the additional speeding. So, part of it is just human behavior. People are driving differently post-pandemic, but also, enforcement is down for many reasons. One of them is just the inability to hire police officers in many of these localities. So, lower enforcement is leading to higher speeding as well.”
Nichols said this is a part of the reason we are seeing more traffic cameras being put up throughout Hampton Roads. He also said local leaders want to add even more cameras.
Even if the traffic cameras occasionally frustrate drivers, they work.
“In localized locations, yes,” Nichols said. “So, where those work zone cameras or school cameras or red light running cameras are in place, you do see a lot more people slowing down, following the speed limit, not running red lights.”
Nichols said pedestrian crashes are more prone at busy intersections — as well as at well-walked areas like Old Dominion University and the Oceanfront. Drivers will be able to see more variable speed limits in places like this.
Crews with HRTPO are eyeing all problem areas throughout Hampton Roads.
“We’re looking right now at ones off Mercury Boulevard,” Nichols said, “[with] a high number of crashes, and we’ve been asked to look at those a little bit more.”
In the past three years alone, six fatalities were reported on Mercury Boulevard.
Out in Virginia Beach, several fatalities have been reported near the intersection of Virginia Beach Boulevard and Independence Boulevard. These incidents usually occurred at night.
The American Automobile Association’s Holly Dalby urges people to wear bright colors while walking at night, and to stick to the sidewalks whenever possible.
“The drivers not paying attention, being distracted, speeding running lights — all those things come together to cause, in so many instances, a very tragic crash,” Dalby said.”
10 On Your Side obtained data on fatal auto-pedestrian crashes for several localities throughout the region. They are listed below.
Virginia Beach (July 2020 — September 2024)
Norfolk (February 2022 — September 2024
Suffolk (October 2021 — September 2024)
- October 1, 2021 (Manning Road)
- August 20, 2021 (N. Main St.)
- February 12, 2023 (Godwin Blvd.)
- May 1, 2024 (E. Washington St.)
- August 18, 2024 (W. Constance Road)
Hampton (Jan. 1, 2021 — Sept. 24, 2024)
Newport News (Jan. 1, 2022 — Sept. 23, 2024)
York County (Jan. 1, 2021 — Sept. 25, 2024)
If you do not see data for a locality in greater Hampton Roads, we do not currently have it, but if we receive it, that information will be added to this coverage.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.