What to do with video of dangerous driver at signaled crosswalk in Arlington?
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Good morning everyone, I could use some forum wisdom about what to do with video of a really dangerous traffic violation.
This morning I was riding with my 8 year old to school. We dismount and use the beg button to cross Glebe Road at 9th St South on foot. It is part of the County’s “bike boulevard” running parallel to Columbia Pike. Pushing the beg button activates blinking lights that cars can see from a block away.
Our routine is that my kid gets to push the button. While he’s doing that, I get out my phone and start recording video. I do this every time we cross. I’ve found that holding up my phone so that drivers can see I’m recording our crossing encourages them to stop for the blinking lights. This morning, it didn’t work.
After we had already crossed the median, a driver accelerated, swerved and changed lanes, passing with a couple feet in front of us. He blasted through the crosswalk after the lights had been blinking for awhile. In my 20 years of riding a bike in Arlington, it was the closest call I’ve ever had. I captured the entire incident in one unbroken video clip, from the time my son pushed the beg button to the car speeding away. I have the driver’s face, the car’s make and model, and his license plate.
My question is, what is the most effective use of this video? I will report the incident to the police, so that I can say I did. I’m sorry to be cynical, but I don’t really expect that will accomplish anything; the police will just say they didn’t witness anything themselves. I’m not sure providing police video of the incident would change that. Honestly, I wonder if I need to give this video to someone more important than me. I’m just a nobody on a bike with his kid. To be clear, I don’t want to “dox” anyone but this driver’s actions are how children get killed on their way to school.
Ultimately, I do hope the driver is ticketed. But my larger aim is that videos like this one would lead to more enforcement and public awareness of pedestrian safety.
What’s the most productive course of action here?
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