A new report on traffic safety in Northern Virginia is raising concerns about the number of “near miss” incidents in Alexandria, especially those involving children.
A total of 155 near miss incidents involving children were reported in Alexandria from January 2024 to December 2025 — more than in any other Northern Virginia locality, according to the report from Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS). Of those incidents, 53 of them occurred at a single intersection in Potomac West.
The two-year report aims to “[bring] awareness to the long-standing risks of street safety to children as reported by their parents” in Alexandria and Falls Church city, Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun counties.
Three locations in Alexandria are identified as “high-risk hotspots.”
- Hickory Street and Kennedy Street (53 incident reports)
- Mount Vernon Avenue and Stewart Avenue (six incident reports)
- King Street and N. Quaker Lane (two incident reports)
The busy Hickory Street intersection sees numerous pedestrians and cyclists in addition to some 1,200 drivers per day. According to the new report, it also has the highest rate of near miss incidents involving children in the entire region.
Driver behaviors are influenced by a lack of stop signs or signals, “not enough time to cross” and poor visibility, the report says.
This is not the first time the intersection has been the subject of safety concerns. Its “mini-roundabout” received a surge of near miss complaints from neighbors in the months following its August 2024 installation, and NoVA FSS highlighted the intersection as a high-risk area in another safety-related report back in September.
The area is “super confusing,” one study participant wrote.
“Drivers don’t yield, new intersection super confusing. Drivers can’t see kids in crosswalk until they’re right on top of us. Blind curve leading to confusing circle. Narrow turning radius for trucks leads to flat tires & further obstructions.”
Another participant said they have experienced more issues since the roundabout’s installation.
“The mini-roundabout at the intersection of Kennedy and Hickory street is so confusing it’s unsafe. There are too many roads that lead into the roundabout that people don’t know what to do. I’ve seen more issues with this intersection now than before the roundabout was put in. To top it all off there is now artwork to add to this jumbled disaster.”
Other “hotspot” intersections, located near Alexandria City High School and the Mount Vernon Community School, both drew concerns of student safety during bus dismissal and student pick-up times.
Each were noted as locations where drivers frequently fail to yield — the most common “driver factor” across all near miss incidents in Alexandria and the broader region.
Out of Alexandria’s 155 near miss incidents from 2024-2025, 56% of drivers failed to yield, 34% were distracted and 10% ran a traffic light, according to the report.
NoVA FSS hopes the report will contribute to safer walking and biking conditions for kids throughout the region by supporting local transit agencies, police, schools and policymakers “in prioritizing safety improvements near schools, parks, and neighborhood crossings.”
