Speed camera installed near site of 2022 fatal high school pedestrian crash

A speed camera in Fairfax County has been installed blocks away from the site of a deadly 2022 pedestrian crash.

Three Oakton High School students were on Blake Lane on June 7, 2022, when a teen driving 81 mph in a 35 mph zone struck and killed two girls in ninth grade. The third student was seriously injured.

This month, driver Usman Shahid, who was 18 at the time of the crash, was found guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

For its first 30 days, the speed camera will issue warnings to drivers speeding through the school zone during school hours. After that period, fines will range from $50 to $100.

The fine for failing to yield to pedestrians will run as high as $500.

“It's the most substantive … change in the corridor since we’ve been involved,” leader of Fairfax Families for Safe Streets Chris French said.

French has been advocating for ways to slow traffic on Blake Lane since 2020, after he was nearly hit while walking his bike through a crosswalk.

Another incident happened at a crosswalk in the area when a teen was struck on his bike and spent weeks in the hospital.

“I broke my leg, I broke my jaw and I got a concussion,” the teen told News4.

It wasn’t until after the high schoolers were killed that more discussion and change came to fruition, French said.

“As a pedestrian safety advocate, you never want to have an ‘I told you so’ moment, but that’s kind of the way it felt,” French said.

After the fatal crash, crosswalk warning signs were installed, the crosswalk was upgraded and fines increased. However, the speed camera is a new addition.

“I’m really glad that everyone is going to be safe now,” the teen who was injured after being struck while riding his bike said.

Regardless of this new measure, some are saying there is still more to be done.

Currently, the official school zone does not include the nearby intersection area where the two girls were killed and therefore is not as protected, French added.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is finishing a road safety audit which is expected to be presented sometime in the coming months.

Once this is presented, the push will be renewed to add even more improvements, French said.

“Unfortunately … speed kills, and unless we can get the speeds on Blake Lane under control, I’m afraid it will happen again,” French said.