Virginia Beach traffic officials have agreed to lower the speed limit along most of Shore Drive from the current 45 mph to 35 mph, the Virginian-Pilot reported on June 2, 2010. The move comes in response to pressure from family members of pedestrian recently killed while crossing Shore Drive in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA), as well as residents of the housing and condominium communities that have proliferated along the primary surface road between northwest and northeast Virginia Beach.
Since 2002, ten people have lost their lives after being struck by cars or trucks on Shore Drive. The latest pedestrian fatality occurred when 25-year-old Norfolk school teacher Whitney Lynne Hulce attempted to cross the busy road after leaving a bar just north of West Great Neck Road at 1:30 am on April 19. It was the second deadly pedestrian accident on Shore Drive in a six-month period.
The incidents have prompted calls for more crosswalks and streetlights, as well, but the lowered speed limit will be the first and most-easily implemented change. The Pilot noted that Virginia Beach Deputy City Manager Dave Hansen estimated new speed limit signs will be in place between Pleasure House Road and West Great Neck by the end of June.
The 35 mph limit is significant because Virginia law requires drivers to give right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks on any public road with a posted speed limit of 35 or lower. Road officials had originally resisted the change, however, citing statistics showing that car and truck braking times change very little between the speeds of 35 mph and 45 mph. But, especially with the crosswalk law, it seems obvious that slowing down vehicles can only help protect pedestrians.
My colleagues have seen too many times how much damage cars and trucks can do to unprotected pedestrians. Even if just one more tragedy gets averted by the change in speed limits on Shore Drive, the move will be justified.
About the Editors: The Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm, whose attorneys work out of offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard and Eastern Shore Virginia Injury Attorneys Blog as pro bono services.
EJL
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
Comments for this article are closed.