Mean streets: Tragic tracks this week

Last week was a tragic one for Metro, with two suicides. A man jumped in front of a Red Line train at Gallery Place and a 15 year-old committed suicide at the Columbia Heights station. Since these events, Metro has partnered with suicide-prevention groups to train station staff to identify and help those in distress. While speaking openly about what can be done to curb suicide is essential, tabloid coverage that sensationalizes this sensitive topic only serves to entice others to kill themselves. In fact, the introduction of guidelines for press coverage of subway suicides in Austria “resulted in a reduction in sensationalist reporting of these suicides and, in turn, a 75% decrease in the rate of subway suicides and a 20% decrease in the overall suicide rate,” according to a study cited by the WHO’s suicide coverage resource for media professionals.

Of interest:

• DC will stop safety inspections for noncommercial automobiles (Post)
• WMATA has hired a consultant to modernize its employee handbook, a major section of which focuses on safety and has not been updated since 1989 (Post)
• Maryland SHA reminds motorists to be on the lookout for motorcyclists during Delmarva Bike Week (WTOP)
• Leesburg police begin training residents to operate radar guns so police can send warnings to speeders (WTOP)
• Police in Albuquerque hand out lights to cyclists without them after issuing warnings (Bike Albuquerque)
• Maryland SHA pilot program enables parents to see video of their teen driver’s sudden braking, swerving, acceleration or collisions (Gazette)

The full list of last week’s crashes:

• Early evening crash kills two in southern Anne Arundel County (WBAL)
• Two injured after Beltway crash at River Road (WUSA)
• Two-car crash in Beltsville sends woman to hospital with serious injuries (Gazette)
• Man loses control of minivan in Largo, drives into pond; no injuries (Fox 5)
• Truck overturns on I-97, critically injuring driver (Baltimore Sun)
• Frederick crash leaves woman injured (Frederick News-Post)
• Man charged in hit-and-run that resulted in no injuries (The Capital)
• Crash closes New York Avenue, gives two minor injuries (NewsChannel 8)
• Cyclist run over by Metrobus while attempting to put bike on rack; cyclist has minor injuries (DCist)

Crime by car:

• Stolen truck crashes into Suitland middle school, damages building before classes begin; no injuries (Gazette)
• Carjacking in Prince William County leads to interstate chase, ends with five-vehicle crash and some minor injuries in Prince George’s County; press remarkably still calls it an “accident” (Post)

Motorcycles:

• Motorcycle crash kills 22 year-old Burke man (Fairfax Times)
• 25 year-old has life-threatening injuries after Anne Arundel motorcycle crash (The Capital)

Following up:

• Metrobus driver who struck and critically injured a jogger earlier this month in NW has a history of preventable crashes and tickets (Post)
• Post editorial slams low safety standards for Metrobus drivers
• Officer who killed a University of Maryland student after crashing into his car either sent or received a text message moments before crash; jury finds the officer was negligent and awards $4 million to victim’s mother (Post)
• Frederick County teen remembered after fatal crash last week (Gazette)
• Man killed in collision with Ride On bus identified (Gazette)
• 200 Howard County residents crowd SHA meeting to demand Route 32 improvements after latest fatal crash, and SHA begins improvements, which do not include widening (Howard County Times)
• Bond granted for driver charged with manslaughter, driving under the influence and felony hit and run after killing his passenger (Leesburg Today) What is Mean Streets? Our first post in the series has an explanation. The geographic area we cover is the member jurisdictions of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, plus Howard and Anne Arundel counties.