Nearly every fatal crash recorded along a stretch of Route 7 over the past several years happened after dark, according to a new study that is now pushing local and state officials to take a hard look at the corridor's lighting, crosswalks and bus stops. Of 11 fatal crashes logged on Leesburg Pike between Seven Corners and Beauregard Street since 2017, 10 occurred at night, and pedestrians made up 86% of those nighttime deaths.
Group Demands Officials Act on Crash Data
The findings come from Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets, which is calling on local and state transportation officials to audit the Route 7 corridor following the release of its report, according to FOX 5 DC. The 78-page report, published October 29 and prepared by Nicole Brager, drew on police-reported records from Virginia's Traffic Records Electronic Data System covering 2017 through June 2026, as reported by the Alexandria Brief. The group posted a summary of its findings alongside the full report on its website on November 2.
The study zeroes in on the same stretch of Leesburg Pike that is slated to become the route of a planned bus rapid transit line, the Alexandria Brief's report notes. That overlap is part of why advocates say the timing matters: any infrastructure work tied to the transit project could double as a chance to fix long-standing safety gaps before more buses and riders are funneled through the corridor.
Crashes Cluster Near Retail Centers and Bus Stops
Beyond the nighttime pattern, the study found that most crash locations clustered near pedestrian destinations like retail centers and transit stops, and that the most common issue flagged involved drivers failing to stop for pedestrians already inside marked crosswalks, per the same FOX 5 DC account. Of 59 serious or fatal crashes recorded across the corridor, 51 involved pedestrians and eight involved bicyclists, according to the report as detailed by FFXnow.
Distance from safe crossing points also emerged as a major factor. The report found that 33 of those 59 fatal and serious-injury crashes happened more than 1,000 feet from a marked crossing, FFXnow reports, and at least two fatal crashes in the Bailey's Crossroads area occurred entirely outside marked crossings. The report suggested officials consider shorter crossing spacing given the long distances between bus stops and crosswalks.
Bailey's Crossroads and Beauregard Area Flagged as Priorities
Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets is calling on Fairfax County, Alexandria and the Virginia Department of Transportation to prioritize field reviews in two specific areas: Bailey's Crossroads/Skyline and the Beauregard/King Street/Glen Forest area, according to FFXnow's report. In the Bailey's Crossroads and Skyline section alone, the study logged 13 fatalities or serious injuries, eight of which occurred in darkness.
Specifically, the group wants officials to audit lighting along crossing paths and bus stops, add or improve crossing signals near high-risk stops, and consider relocating bus stops to safer crossing areas. Advocates also called for a broader audit examining visibility, crosswalks and intersection infrastructure as planning continues for the proposed rapid bus system, FOX 5 DC reported.
A Long-Delayed Sidewalk and Earlier Warnings
The push adds urgency to infrastructure that is still years away. Design work on a planned Route 7 sidewalk is underway, but VDOT does not anticipate starting construction until early 2029, FFXnow reported, leaving a long gap before any physical fix reaches the ground.
This is not the first time Bailey's Crossroads has drawn scrutiny over Route 7 safety. A 2022 study by the Coalition for Smarter Growth and the immigrant advocacy organization CASA similarly flagged limited lighting and crossings along the same stretch, FFXnow reported. That earlier CASA walkability survey drew 202 responses, with 67% of participants saying they did not feel safe traveling around the community and another 23% saying they felt only somewhat safe. CASA's report recommended interim steps including lower speed limits, safer crossing options, high-visibility crosswalks and pavement markings, and brighter pedestrian-scale lighting.
Those concerns are not new to the corridor. In March 2022, families including young children rallied at Route 7 and Glen Carlyn Drive in Bailey's Crossroads to demand safety upgrades, months after 68-year-old Falls Church resident Nguyet Ly died on December 13 when a car struck her as she walked near the shoulder of a section of Leesburg Pike that had no sidewalk at all.
