PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. — Prince George’s County transportation leaders say they plan to look into safety concerns along one local road after a viral video showed a driver come feet away from hitting a family at a bus stop last week.
Tomasa Mejia took her three boys out to their bus stop, along Addison Road, near Pine Grove Road, in Capitol Heights, Friday morning. Surveillance video from the Mejia’s home security camera showed as the kids started to walk out into the street to get on the bus, a driver passed the bus at a high rate of speed.
Mejia was able to stop her kids from getting into the roadway before the driver passed them, in between the curb and the school bus.
No one was hurt.
The video has already attracted more than 12 million views on social media.
The incident also stirred up many questions. Locals chimed in on Twitter curious about what was being done to improve safety along Addison Road.
On Friday, the Prince George’s County Public Works and Transportation Department said it planned to send a representative to the road to review the area and see what additional safety measures may be needed.
However, the department added speed humps would not be installed on the roadway as speed humps are not typically used on roads with speeds lower than 25 miles per hour limits.
“Because vehicles are required to come to a near stop to pass over them,” PGPWT’s statement reads. “Addison Road South is considered a major arterial/collector roadway, which are typically roads that connect with regional roads and highways to accommodate higher volumes of traffic and are exempt from the installation of speed humps.”
The department said, in this case, Addison Road South connects to the heavily used thoroughfares of Central Avenue and Silver Hill Road.
“If speed humps were placed on roadways like this, then it would have an adverse impact on overall vehicle flow, including emergency vehicle response times,” the statement reads.
Prince George’s County Councilmember Krystal Oriadha represents Capitol Heights. She said, on Friday, she has received several complaints concerning safety along that stretch of Addison Road.
“It’s frustrating that the community’s dealing with this and that it hasn’t seen solutions,” Oriadha said.
She said Addison Road presents a complex situation as it caters to the needs of drivers and pedestrians in the area. She said its design needs to be looked at.
“We have streets like that all over the county where we have to think about the design and problems with the design, not just what we’re going to do to mitigate traffic,” Oriadha said. “And, I think that’s also what we have to think as we move forward with development. That’s part of our priorities with walkable designs.”
Many people found fault with how the road is developed online as road signage and paint on the roadway can confuse drivers as to whether there is even a turn lane on the Pine Grove side of the road.
Catholic University student Robb Gabriel Ecleo avoids the area on his bicycle due to how dangerous it can be for drivers.
“It’s so interesting as to how when someone’s in a car they feel like people walking, pedestrians, are not human anymore,” he said. “They’re objects.”
Currently, it remains unclear if the driver who passed by the school bus has been cited.
WUSA9 reached out to Prince George’s County Public Schools to see if the school bus was equipped with a camera as the school district says it has on all its buses. It has yet to receive an answer to that question.
WUSA9 reached out to PGPD following the incident and received the following statement:
"PGPD was first made aware of the incident on Friday, February 24th, the day of the incident. It is still under investigation, and we are attempting to identify the vehicle and driver. This is the first incident of this type that we have been made aware of, in this area. We take the safety of our community seriously. Any questions regarding the school bus and whether it was equipped with camera capabilities should be directed to Prince George’s County Public Schools."