Click here if this email is hard to read. 
To unsubscribe to all emails, click here.

Friend —

I hear from so many neighbors about the need to make our streets safer by slowing down cars and getting dangerous drivers off the road. So I'm writing today with a specific update about my STEER Act legislation to do just that, and the three pieces of the new law I funded in this upcoming budget. (In the District, laws can't take effect until they're funded. That means including funding through the budget process is really important.) And even though Mayor Bowser refused to sign these safety improvements into law or sign the budget that funded them, they will still take effect and have the full force of the law in DC.

We need more accountability for people who choose to drive dangerously and also better government systems to make that happen. 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. The STEER Act aims to change that by giving teeth to our enforcement system in a few ways — no matter where the driver's from or the car's registered.

Here are the three pieces of the law that will take effect on October 1 (the graphic above shows all the major provisions of the law, the rest of which will be funded in future budgets). 

1. The Attorney General will have new authority to sue dangerous drivers, wherever they live.
   The STEER Act gives DC's locally elected Attorney General the authority to bring civil suits against vehicles themselves (and their owners) who've received large traffic fines and haven't paid them (like the MD driver with more than $180k in DC fines!). Notably, these suits can be brought regardless of which state a car is registered in. Right now, drivers from other states - and DC - can operate with impunity. This new authority and the attorneys I gave the Attorney General will allow them to go after scofflaws to show drivers the city means business. While I understand that some people can't afford to pay traffic tickets, here we're talking about tens of thousands of dollars unpaid, not a ticket or two (there's another provision in the bill that we'll need to find the funds to implement that allows drivers to go to a safety course to get some tickets forgiven). 
   
   
2. The DMV will install "speed governors" in the cars of anyone convicted of criminal reckless driving.
   For people convicted of criminal reckless and aggravated reckless driving, the DMV can now install a speed governor in their car, which limits the car's speed automatically. Think of it like an ignition interlock device for people convicted of a DUI. 
   
   
3. The owners of stolen cars won't get tickets while those cars are stolen.
   I was incredulous that this was even happening. Through emails from impacted constituents, I became aware that MPD didn't have a way to timely and accurately notify the DMV and DPW of credible reports of stolen cars to stop traffic and parking tickets from being assessed while the cars were stolen. Victims of car theft shouldn't be responsible for the speeding tickets racked up by someone driving their stolen car! The law will fix this. 

As I mentioned, there are additional parts of the law that will need to be funded in the next budget - such as allowing DC residents the ability to get the cost of some tickets waived if they complete driving safety courses. But the major reforms described above will work quickly to get the most dangerous drivers off our streets.

Other important provisions will also improve accountability, including creating a new point system focused on priority booting and towing for vehicles that have a certain number of speeding and moving violations in a six-month window. Thankfully, after pressure during our oversight hearings, DPW has started taking this more seriously and rolled out a targeted enforcement effort, getting nearly 70 cars off the street — something the Council has been urging it to do for years.

The law will also close loopholes that allow DUI-convicted drivers to keep driving. This seems basic, but unbelievably, in doing oversight at the Council, I discovered there's a significant disconnect in communication between the courts and the DMV when someone is convicted of a DUI to ensure their license is actually revoked. During an oversight hearing I chaired last summer, it came to light there were hundreds of people who should have had their licenses revoked who were still driving! We're now fixing this.

There's still more to do to improve street safety - including physical changes to road infrastructure. And remember that so much could be improved overnight by DDOT without legislation. But I wanted to keep you informed about this important law and how it will hold dangerous drivers accountable. 

Thanks,

Charles Allen