Prince William Co. School Board calls for lower speed limit near high school

The Prince William County School Board is calling for a lower speed limit near a high school in Virginia after several people have been struck, some even killed, at a popular intersection in recent years. FOX 5's Jacqueline Matter has the story!

MANASSAS, Va. - The Prince William County School Board is calling for a lower speed limit near a high school in Virginia after several people have been struck, some even killed, at a nearby intersection in recent years.

There have been years of debates and studies, but the school board just voted to reduce the speed near Route 15 and Graduation Drive from 55 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour during the busiest times of the school day.

"You have a shopping center, you have a housing development, you have a school with a lot of drivers, so it’s just a huge convergence of traffic. Plus, the people traveling on 15," said Brandie Provenzano, a parent, and teacher at Battlefield High School.

Data from a 21-page report from the Virginia Department of Transportation shows more than 50 crashes happened at the intersection of Route 15 and Graduation Drive between January 2016 to December 2020.

According to VDOT, 36 of those crashes were rear-ending collisions.

The report found many drivers were operating at higher speeds and were unsuccessful in breaking on time.

"I’m pleased to see the traffic study, speed reduction zone is recommended," said Jennifer Wall, the Gainesville district representative on the Prince William County School Board where Battlefield High School is located.

"Current speed right now is 55 miles per hour, that’s why I said highway speeds. Often times people going faster than that. It’s just too fast for this area," she added.

Just last year, FOX 5 told you about two teenagers who were killed along that stretch of road, however, those deaths were not included in the study period.

Two weeks ago, a pedestrian was killed in the same area.

"That really hit home for a lot of people because, of course, it’s always sad when a pedestrian is hit by a car but to lose a student that way," Provenzano said.

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Almost two months after a tragic crash in Fairfax that killed two students, county leaders are working to help make the roads safer.

The report states reducing the speed 30 minutes before drop off and after dismissal would help significantly.

The school board is also asking for a flashing school zone sign when school is in session.

While the lowering of speed limits may help, Provenzano said more needs to be done.

"I am in favor of some sort of bridgeway or something across that median where it’s happening because of the number of students. Battlefield has, I think, over 3000 students. For me, whatever we can do to protect our students is the best thing," she said.

The proposal will be sent to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors for approval.

This could go into effect as early as February.

Read the full Battlefield High School Limit Speed Study below: