BETHESDA, Md. — New federal data suggests traffic deaths in the D.C. region are on the rise.
Officials claim 1,155 people died in vehicle cashes in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia in the first nine months (January to September) of 2022, the latest period with available data, according to new estimates released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration in December.
That's up about 6% from a projected 1,087 fatalities over the same time period in 2021.
In Virginia, roadway fatalities over the period increased from 665 to 729, a 9.6% increase.
Maryland saw a smaller 2.5% jump, from 393 to 403.
D.C.'s roadway deaths in the first nine months of the year fell, from 29 in 2021 to 23 in 2022.
But numbers alone can't tell the full story.
"Behind each of those people is a family that's been crushed," said Dan Langenkamp.
He knows firsthand.
Langenkamp's wife, Sarah, was killed when a truck hit her while she was riding her bike this summer in Bethesda.
"She was my best friend," said Dan. "Our lives are shattered by this accident."
She leaves behind two sons: Axel and Oliver.
Oliver Langenkamp spoke to WUSA9 in the fall of 2022 about the family's mission to improve roadway safety.
"We can't go back in time but we can change the future for other people," said the ten-year-old.
The family is calling for more protection for bike lanes, like better separation from car lanes and other design improvements. They're also pushing for more enforcement of existing traffic laws and more patience from drivers behind the wheel.
Their advocacy work is a living memorial and a message to Sarah.
"We're doing our best so that others like [her] won't die," said Dan. "So that other families, other children like Oliver and Axel, our kids, don't have to go through what they've gone through."