I was able to obtain the police report for the pedestrian crash Monday at Connecticut and Nebraska. It says,

D-1 [the driver] was traveling northeasterly on Nebraska Ave., N.W., passed through a yellow light, attempted to clear the intersection before the light changed to red and struck P-1 [the pedestrian], which he (D-1), did not see. The driver (D-1) stopped V-1 when he realized, he collided with P-1.

According to the report, the pedestrian was approximately 7 feet up Nebraska (farther from the intersection) than the crosswalk. The pedestrian is a 64-year-old woman, the driver a 30-year-old man. The driver received a citation for “passing yellow light.”

Several pedestrian crashes have occurred at this intersection in the past year. According to one poster on the Chevy Chase list, the crossing time here is very short. The design of this intersection prioritizes moving large amounts of traffic over pedestrian safety.

Furthermore, we need to educate drivers about the dangers of rushing through intersections or other. When circumstances warrant, drivers should face penalties beyond just a traffic ticket. Right now, with a low likelihood of hitting a pedestrian, the benefit from speeding up to make a light outweighs the cost.

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Tagged: dc, pedestrian safety, pedestrians, upper connecticut

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.