Reston Fatal Hit-And-Run: VDOT Says Intersection Is Safe

RESTON, VA — As police continue to investigate a fatal hit-and-run in Reston earlier this week, the Virginia Department of Transportation has reviewed the intersection where it happened and found that it is safe, despite some raising concerns on social media about it.

A car struck and killed 76-year-old Hung Soon Seo at the intersection of North Shore Drive and Village Road on Sunday. Seo was crossing through the intersection outside of the crosswalk. Police are still searching for the driver.

After the accident, two users on Twitter claimed that there were a lack of road markings near the intersection and that the intersection, which is governed by stop signs, is dangerous and encourages high speeds.

However, VDOT spokesperson Ellen Kamilakis told Patch.com that a supervisor had assessed the intersection on Thursday, Sept. 1, and determined that there were no markings that were obscured or missing, nor were there any complaints about the condition of the intersection.

Asked whether the intersection should have a stoplight, Kamilakis said that it is actually safer because it is an all-way stop, forcing every vehicle to come to a complete stop at all times of day.

"It’s among the most restrictive form of traffic control and among the safest because all vehicles expect to stop and thus approach the intersection slowly," she said. "The all-way stop was implemented about eight years ago."

She added that although such all-way stops aren't immune to accidents, signals "almost always have more crashes than all-way stops" because vehicles often approach the intersection at a high speed.

Kamilakis said that VDOT can't speak to the circumstances of the most recent crash, but "we review the traffic control in the field every time there is a fatal collision to determine if changes are needed."

Image via VDOT