driving dangerously

From a press release:

“Today, Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6) is introducing legislation to reduce dangerous driving and expand accountability for drivers who make our roads unsafe. The bill improves street safety in three main areas: (1) enhanced booting, towing, and impounding of offenders’ vehicles based on repeat or serious traffic violations in a six-month window, (2) new authority for the Office of the Attorney General to bring civil suits against drivers or the vehicles themselves, and (3) stronger and more streamlined license revocation procedures for repeat DUI offenders.

“No matter where you live in the District, not a day goes by without a driver recklessly speeding with little regard for pedestrians, cyclists, or other drivers. Our current accountability tools are failing to change behavior or save lives,” said Councilmember Allen. “Driving on our roads is a privilege, and there should be serious, effective, and timely consequences when a driver breaks the law – especially repeatedly. This bill better focuses our dangerous driving laws on repeat offenders, creates a novel legal authority for the Attorney General to try to get bad drivers, including from states without reciprocity agreements, off our streets when other tools aren’t working, and fixes the communication problems between the Court and DMV we’ve seen in recent weeks with drunk driving enforcement. It’s also equitable: just because you can pay your ticket doesn’t mean you’re a safer driver. We want to offer second chances to people who try to follow the rules, regardless of their ability to pay, but go after those who think they can get away with endangering others.”

The bill is named the Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility (STEER) Amendment Act of 2023. Councilmember Allen serves as the Chair of the Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment and has oversight of the District’s traffic laws, DDOT, and DMV. The bill follows a public hearing Councilmember Allen held on traffic enforcement on May 23, 2023 and builds on the Committee’s oversight of the DMV following that hearing, focusing on gaps in the District’s system for revoking licenses for anyone convicted of a DUI.

To improve safety on our streets, the bill: (more…)