Fairfax County Leads Virginia In Traffic Deaths: Report

As the most populous county in Virginia, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Fairfax County continues to lead the state in traffic deaths. In 2017, Fairfax County's 35 traffic-related fatalities was the highest in the state. The 35 traffic deaths in Fairfax County represent one more fatality than 2016 but less than the 47 deaths in 2012.

"Virginia has 95 counties and 38 independent cities. Yet the roads of Fairfax County are the scenes of the highest number of traffic crashes, highway fatalities, and road traffic injuries in Virginia," said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of public and government affairs, in a news release. "As of last year, 225 persons have lost their lives in traffic crashes in Fairfax County since 2012."

The Virginia Highway Safety Office released the data in its 2017 report. In all, there were 13,631 crashes and 6,418 injuries in Fairfax County last year. Fairfax County's 0.04 death rate per 1,000 drivers isn't the highest in Virginia—that belongs to Sussex County with a 2.11 death rate.

Virginia saw 3,772 fatal crashes in from 2012 to 2016, compared to 2,443 in Maryland. But if there's any consolation for Fairfax County residents, Maryland's deadliest county for traffic crashes fared much worse. Prince George's County, Md., had 99 traffic fatalities last year, a 32 percent increase from the previous year.

Prince George's and Fairfax Counties lead the DC region in pedestrian deaths, with 19 and 16 respectively, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. In Fairfax County, there have already been a number of fatal pedestrian crashes this year. Statewide, there were 1,608 pedestrian-involved crashes last year, a 2.7 percent decrease from 2016.

Here's how Fairfax County compared to other Northern Virginia jurisdictions in 2017.

Image via Shutterstock