New ‘Crash Tracker’ tool aims to keep DMV roadways safe

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) recently launched the Crash Tracker tool.

The group’s advocacy director, Jeremiah Lowery, says the organization created Crash Tracker because they noticed a rise in traffic-related fatalities and injuries across the DMV.

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Lowery says their organization’s mission is to prevent incidents like that from happening and create safer streets.

“Safe for people to drive,” Lowery said, “For people to bike, for people to walk and for people to take public transportation.”

The Crash Tracker can be found on the WABA website. Once there, people can click on the option that best fits the situation they’ve experienced or witnessed.

“A traffic crash,” Lowery said. “Or a near miss, or a dangerous location or a car parked in a bike lane, and that information goes directly to us.”

There’s also an option to share that information with others as well.

“If they want to,” he said. “Also, it goes to the local department of transportation that covers that area, as well as the local elected official who is covering that area.”

Lowery says the data submitted is confidential and that information is used to help WABA advocate for better safety measures on DMV roadways.

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“We want the local departments of transportation and elected officials to use that data to inform their policy-making decisions and budget processes,” he said.

WABA plans to expand the Crash Tracker into more parts of Maryland and Virginia in the near future.

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