Fairfax County police officers are stopping drivers who turn right through crosswalks without yielding to pedestrians, bicyclists and scooter riders.
The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) announced Operation Safe Right Turn on Monday, Sept. 14, calling it a response to a pattern of drivers turning through crosswalks without checking for people on foot or on wheels. The operation follows several serious crashes in the area, including one near the Vienna Community Center on Aug. 11 that hospitalized a pedestrian.
Officers from the department's Traffic Division and patrol districts across the county will issue citations when they observe violations.
The campaign zeros in on one scenario: a driver with a solid green light makes a right turn and rolls through the crosswalk without stopping for someone who has the right of way. A green light permits the turn, the department said, but does not relieve the driver of the duty to yield.
What Virginia law requires
Under Virginia Code § 46.2-924, drivers must stop when a pedestrian is in their lane or an adjacent lane at any marked crosswalk. Pedestrians crossing at intersections have the right of way over turning vehicles at all times.
A standard violation is a traffic infraction. If the violation causes serious bodily injury or death to a pedestrian, bicyclist or scooter rider lawfully in the crosswalk, it becomes a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Pedestrian and cyclist crashes this year
Fairfax County had recorded at least 10 pedestrian deaths by June 19, after four people were killed in a two-day span, FFXnow reported.
The Aug. 11 crash near the Vienna Community Center happened at Park Street SE and Cherry Street SE around 1:22 p.m. Police initially described the incident as a hit-and-run, according to FFXnow.
On Sept. 9, a 13-year-old bicyclist was killed after being struck by a truck near a Fairfax City shopping center. The same day, an 11-year-old riding an e-scooter in Chantilly was hit in a crosswalk by a vehicle turning into a school parking lot, FFXnow reported. The student jumped off the scooter and was not injured.
What drivers and pedestrians should do
FCPD advised drivers to check the entire crosswalk, mirrors and blind spots before turning. Bicyclists and scooter riders can approach intersections faster than pedestrians and may be harder to spot, the department said.
Pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders should also stay alert and watch for turning vehicles, even when they have the walk signal, according to the department.
The department did not name specific intersections where enforcement will be concentrated or say how long the operation will last. Residents can register home security cameras at connectfairfaxcounty.org to help FCPD with investigations.
