Proposed legislation aims to prevent dangerous driving in DC

WASHINGTON (7News) — The D.C. Council’s transportation committee held a hearing this week on a dangerous driving bill aimed at cracking down on drivers who amass a lot of tickets but face few consequences.

Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen says such drivers are all too often behind serious and deadly crashes that hurt everyone from pedestrians to bikers and other drivers.

Allen proposed the bill and said he hopes to have it voted on by the full council before the end of the year.

The bill includes a lot of provisions, but the two main ones are:

• Allowing the Mayor’s office to boot vehicles and suspend licenses for an excessive number of tickets in the previous six months
• Allowing the D.C. Attorney General to sue in-state and out-of-state drivers over unpaid tickets

As of earlier in 2023, Allen’s office said there were around 1.4 million unpaid tickets in D.C. and about 80% of those involved out-of-state vehicles.

Allen said his bill addresses the common complaint that out-of-state drivers can amass a large number of tickets, not pay, and face few if any consequences.

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“If you’re a D.C. dangerous driver, we’re coming after you. If you’re from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida; if you’re driving dangerously on our streets, we’re coming after you,” Allen said Thursday, one day after a hearing on the bill that he said involved 60 witnesses and over 20 ANC commissioners throughout the city.

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s office sent the following statement to 7News:

“Every day across the District, speeding and reckless drivers endanger pedestrians, cyclists, and other motorists. This year, 38 people have tragically lost their lives to traffic violence on DC streets. We need every available tool to stop this unacceptable reality, and the Office of the Attorney General supports the Council’s efforts to make our streets safer.”

Allen said the bill also addresses communication failures exposed by a deadly accident on Rock Creek Parkway earlier this year.

The driver accused of causing the crash was in a Lexus with dozens of unpaid tickets attached to it.

“Three lives lost, but for whatever reason, her license hadn’t been taken,” Allen said. “That was a failure of the courts in the DMV to communicate, and this legislation will fix that as well.”

Allen’s bill comes at a time when the city is moving in the wrong direction on its “Vision Zero” goal of zero traffic fatalities.

As of October 5, there have been 38 traffic deaths in the city compared to 27 at this time last year.

Of those traffic deaths, 15 involved pedestrians being hit and another 15 involved people either driving or riding in vehicles. Others involved motorcycles, scooters and bicycles.