More than 900 pedestrians were killed in traffic- related crashes in Virginia between the period of 2009-2018, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. This is a 59 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities over 10 years.

In 2019, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles reported that 1,896 pedestrians were involved in crashes that ended in injury and 126 were killed. Nationally, pedestrian fatalities increased from 4,109 in 2009 to 6,283 in 2018 which is a 55 percent increase in deaths.

“If you perform a quick search of the news over the past six weeks, you can easily find eight instances of crashes involving pedestrians in Hampton Roads. People are dying, or being seriously injured crossing the street,” said Holly Dalby, director of public affairs for AAA Tidewater Virginia.

In the AAA Foundation’s research, nearly two-thirds of all pedestrian fatalities occur on the roads with speed limits of 40 miles per hour or higher.

Poor lighting is another factor. Most...