Last year, 45 pedestrians were killed by drivers in Washington, D.C. — a 16-year high. Now, city leadership is looking to reduce the number of pedestrians killed to zero through legislation awaiting Mayor Muriel Bowser’s signature and Congressional approval.
Initiatives in the Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility Act, which include allowing the attorney general to sue drivers regardless of where they are registered over large fine amounts and installing speed governors inside cars found guilty of reckless driving, took effect Tuesday.
D.C. Councilman Charles Allen, who wrote the bill, said he hopes it will hold reckless drivers who may not reside in D.C. accountable.
“We need more accountability for people who choose to drive dangerously and also better government systems to make that happen,” Allen said in a statement. “Right now, there are few meaningful consequences for people who drive recklessly or rack up unpaid tickets from our traffic cameras, especially if they’re from other states without what’s called ‘ticket reciprocity’ — i.e., Maryland and Virginia.”