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Arlington drivers now need to make a complete stop for pedestrians in crosswalks or face up to $500 in fines.听

The Arlington County Board updated its this summer to conform with Virginia鈥檚 state traffic code. Now, drivers in Arlington County could face $100 to $500 fines if they do not completely stop for pedestrians within a crosswalk on roads with a speed limit under 35 miles per hour.听

Virginia lawmakers changed the state鈥檚 traffic code in early March. The former code required drivers to yield to pedestrians, meaning that a rolling stop for pedestrians in crosswalks was allowed.听听听

鈥淔or a moment鈥檚 time, technically there was an inconsistency between our law and the state law. Just to get in conformity we changed it,鈥� said David Barrera, communications and policy manager for the Arlington County Board.听

According to Ashley Savage, the Arlington County Police Department communications director, the code requires drivers to stop, even if they have a green light. Traffic Attorney Alex Taylor confirmed this interpretation.听

The code also states that a driver approaching from an adjacent lane or from behind a car stopped for a pedestrian cannot go past the stopped car.听

Barerra said the law requires people to fully stop. 听

鈥淲hen we say yield, anybody can just roll and then go,鈥� Barerra said. 鈥淏ut if a police officer sees you, obviously you鈥檙e eligible for a fine.鈥�听

Applies on roads with a 35-mph limit

This part of the code–requiring drivers to stop instead of yielding to pedestrians–only applies on roads that have less than a 35-mph speed limit, which includes of Arlington鈥檚 roads.听听

Traffic Attorney Alex Taylor said there is a legal reason behind this.听

鈥淭he speed limit is that low so that you can have the ability to stop,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 say that, but that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 that way.鈥�听

Taylor said even a five-mile-per-hour difference in a driver鈥檚 speed can change the outcome of dangerous pedestrian crossing situations.听

鈥淚f you鈥檙e driving less than 35 miles per hour and a person is in a crosswalk, you have enough time to be able to stop,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淚f a person is going 40 miles an hour, and if a person is in the crosswalk, you aren鈥檛 going to have enough time to slow the car down enough to avoid hitting them.鈥�听

Barrera said the change aligns with Arlington鈥檚 goal of Vision Zero.听

Aligns with Vision Zero

is a strategy adopted by neighborhoods all over the world to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries. In , this looks like completing construction on streets, managing speed, improving signage and managing curb space.听

Since the Arlington County Board adopted a Vision Zero policy in 2019 and adopted a five-year Vision Zero action plan in 2021, it has targeted pedestrian safety. Barrera and Baker said this law supports Arlington鈥檚 Vision Zero goal: to completely eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030.听听

Christine Baker, Arlington County Vision Zero manager, said the law aims to 鈥渂ring awareness to drivers who might not otherwise be paying attention to pedestrians or who are going really fast.鈥�听

According to data from Vision Zero, there have been 38 critical crashes in Arlington so far this year. Ten of those 38 crashes were crashes in which pedestrians were involved. Nine of those pedestrians suffered severe injuries, and one died.听听

鈥淭he code is kind of nuanced,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淏ut by stopping, drivers are making it less likely for a pedestrian to be hit.鈥�听

Dee Mots, who works in Arlington and is an Arlington resident, said she was not aware of the code change, but she thinks it is a good thing.听听

鈥淧eople here are very impatient, so I think the full stop would be more helpful than yielding,鈥� Mots said.听

Mots said some of her work clients have been struck by cars while riding their bikes, and she said she鈥檚 nearly been hit on her way to work.听听

鈥淚鈥檝e almost gotten hit before,鈥� Mots said. 鈥淚鈥檓 only focusing on the little man that says 鈥榳alk,鈥� I鈥檓 not really paying attention to cars, and I know that sounds bad.鈥�听

Another resident, Marcia Basler said she always fully stops for pedestrians, so she feels like she does not need to change her driving.听听

鈥淵ou really don鈥檛 need to have a big commotion about it,鈥� Basler said. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure people get killed because they鈥檙e doing the wrong thing.鈥�听

AAA Mid-Atlantic agrees that the new code will improve pedestrian safety.听

鈥淰irginia鈥檚 new law is consistent with AAA鈥檚 position on pedestrian safety,鈥� said Ragina Cooper Ali, AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson. 鈥淩equiring drivers to stop, not yield, for pedestrians in crosswalks or on a roadway approaching a crossing pedestrian, will help ensure adequate crossing protection.鈥澨�听

Savage from the police department said the only way a citation would be issued, however, is if a police officer directly sees a driver roll through a crosswalk with an approaching pedestrian.听Even then, Savage said a driver will not necessarily face a citation. 听

鈥淭hey could,鈥� Savage said. 鈥淎n officer still has discretion, and we do use other means, we do traffic stops, through education, through warnings, but they could be subject to a traffic citation.鈥�听

Attorney Taylor said even though a citation is not guaranteed, it is still the law.听听

鈥淭he way the law is interpreted to begin with–if you have the ability to see that pedestrian prior to hitting them–then you鈥檙e supposed to stop,鈥� Taylor said.听听

Traffic cameras?

Savage said the state law does not permit enforcement via traffic cameras for this offense, but Baker said it should.听听

鈥淢oving to enforcement by red light cameras and traffic cameras is critical to Vision Zero鈥檚 mission,鈥� Baker said.听

Enforcing these laws through police officers is not a guarantee that the law will be enforced, which is why Baker said Vision Zero is trying to update the code so that enforcing these laws by video camera is allowed.听

鈥淏y using traffic cameras, we aren鈥檛 trying to be like 鈥榞otcha,鈥� you know,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淲e just want to decrease police officer and driver interaction due to recent events.鈥�听

Baker said this is because Vision Zero wants to prevent potential conflicts between drivers and police officers so the code can be enforced peacefully.听

Baker said the state has been diligent about changing the code鈥檚 enforcement rules, so for now, the code will remain unchanged.听听

听While they wait, Vision Zero is striving to change signs that say 鈥測ield to pedestrians鈥� to 鈥渟top for pedestrians.鈥�听

Arlington鈥檚 Department of Environmental Services is collaborating with the Department of Transportation to put up the signs, according to Baker. The signs will be at crosswalks, reminding drivers of the fines associated with failing to completely stop for pedestrians. 听