D.C. leaders approved legislation on Tuesday to crack down on reckless drivers, including a plan that would require the installation of “speed governor” devices on the cars of some offenders.
The DC STEER Act, meaning “Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility,” was unanimously passed by the D.C. Council. It aims to reduce on speeding and reckless driving.
D.C. Council member Charles Allen championed the legislation.
“How many times have you run a plate through the DMV and you see tens and tens of thousands of dollars of speeding tickets? This is going to put teeth in our enforcement and get those dangerous drivers off our streets,” he said.
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Here’s what the road safety bill would do
D.C. would be able to install speed governors on the cars of drivers convicted in court for criminal violations around aggravated or reckless aggravated driving. The devices restrict a vehicle’s speed.
Through the speed governor pilot program, drivers would be responsible for the installation cost for the device. For low-income drivers, D.C. would pay the cost.
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The bill also would establish a point system linked to a driver’s vehicle and also their driver’s license. The District would be able to monitor, boot or tow vehicles racking up traffic violations. People who are repeat dangerous drivers in a six-month window would be eligible for booting and towing immediately in the enforcement system that currently exists. The effort focuses on drivers who engage in recent and ongoing speeding.
Here’s how points would be given:
- Speeding 11-15 mph over the limit: 2 points
- Speeding 16-19 mph over the limit: 3 points
- Speeding 20 mph or more over the limit: 5 points
- Reckless driving: 5 points
The legislation gives the attorney general authority to sue dangerous drivers with multiple dangerous driving violations no matter where they live, holding drunken drivers accountable and getting them off the road by closing loopholes and fixing agency failures revealed through committee oversight.
The legislation also requires the DMV to create a safe driving class to waive up to $500 in fines per year.
‘Feels like there’s no consequences’
On the streets of the District, residents said they’re dismayed to see some drivers’ behavior.
“They go from, like, this light to that light, knowing that it’s red, and they’ll just go like 50 miles an hour,” Barbara Simone said.
“If someone is driving recklessly or speeding, it feels like there’s no consequences,” resident Josh Miller said.
Last year, a woman was accused of driving drunk and killing three people in a crash on Rock Creek Parkway. The vehicle had dozens of speeding tickets and thousands of dollars in unpaid fines.
Seven people have been killed in crashes in the District this year. For all of 2023, 52 people were killed. That’s a jump from 2022, when 35 people were killed.
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Miller said he hopes the bill can make a difference.
“The last thing that we want to see is people get hurt,” he said.
