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ALEXANDRIA, Va - The Alexandria Police Department is continuing a high-visibility traffic enforcement campaign that targets speeding, failure to yield, and distracted driving, with messaging directed at both drivers and pedestrians, the department said Tuesday.
In a Facebook post, APD said its Traffic Safety Section is "focusing enforcement with high visibility to reduce pedestrian crashes across our city" and that residents may see officers in high-risk areas working to enforce traffic laws and reinforce safe behaviors. The department said the effort supports Vision Zero, the city's framework for eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries on Alexandria streets by 2028.
The campaign was first publicly described by APD communications manager Tracy Walker in an April 23 statement to The Alexandria Brief, in which she said the department was increasing high-visibility traffic enforcement at multiple intersections in North Old Town. Walker described the effort as proactive and said at the time that it was not connected to any specific ongoing crash investigation. Tuesday's post indicated the campaign's reach extends across the city.
APD has used its Facebook account in recent days to share safety reminders aimed at both drivers and pedestrians under the campaign banner "Arrive alive. Nothing else matters."
What APD is reminding drivers:
The department is asking drivers to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, with particular attention to turning movements, where the department's Tuesday post noted drivers should "stay alert." APD has described yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks as drivers' responsibility under the law. The department is also asking drivers to slow down, remain alert in areas with foot traffic, respect the right of way at intersections, and avoid distractions.
What APD is reminding pedestrians:
The department is asking pedestrians to use marked crosswalks, stay visible, and limit distractions—including putting phones away while crossing. APD has reminded pedestrians to make eye contact with drivers before crossing and to wait for vehicles to come to a complete stop. The department has also noted that pedestrians do not have the right-of-way when crossing outside of crosswalks.
Walker, in her April 23 statement to The Alexandria Brief, offered parallel safety reminders for both groups. Drivers, she said, should slow down and remain alert in areas with high foot traffic, be prepared to stop at crosswalks and yield to pedestrians, avoid distractions, and watch for people entering or already in the roadway. Pedestrians, she said, should use marked crosswalks and follow pedestrian signals when available, make themselves as visible as possible, limit distractions, and try to make eye contact with drivers before crossing.
The campaign comes amid a string of pedestrian crashes in Alexandria this spring. Drivers struck pedestrians in at least six incidents APD posted about in April, including a fatal crash on N. Saint Asaph Street in which a 62-year-old woman was killed, a hit-and-run on King Street, and a crash near William Ramsay Elementary School in which an 11-year-old boy was injured. A driver also struck a 9-year-old girl in a Del Ray crosswalk on May 1; the child was hospitalized as a precaution and the driver, who was operating on a learner's permit, was cited for failure to yield.
APD's Vision Zero-aligned messaging supplements infrastructure-side work the city has underway, including West End high-crash intersection audits, school-zone speed cameras, Mount Vernon Avenue North improvements, corridor speed management, and the installation of leading pedestrian intervals and "No Turn on Red" restrictions at select intersections.
Residents can report traffic safety concerns through the city's online portal or by calling APD's non-emergency line at 703-746-4444.
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