In a move indicative of the District’s heightened focus on road safety, Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb has filed lawsuits against three Maryland drivers for a cumulative $90,000 in unpaid fines related to traffic violations within DC.
These legal actions mark the first implementation of the District's STEER Act, enabling civil enforcement against individuals from any jurisdiction who accidentally or deliberately overlook the financial penalties tied to their offenses in the capital, the announcement of this legal action was confirmed by the Office of the Attorney General. Defying traffic laws not only includes speeding but encompasses an array of dangerous infractions that have contributed to DC's unsettling spike in traffic fatalities, which reached 52 in the past year and emphasized the hazardous roads that this act seeks to reconfigure
Cited in the lawsuit Andre E. Bowman, with 135 infractions, owes $36,986, Earl D. Curtis owes $27,882 from 115 infractions while Leon L. Carter, hitting the mark at $30,666 from 84 infractions, is alleged to symbolize the rampant disregard for traffic regulations that have placed countless lives in peril. Attorney General Schwalb articulated his position, stating, "Too many drivers dangerously speed through the District and, as a result, too many District residents don't feel safe walking in their neighborhoods."
Support for Schwalb's legal maneuver is echoed by Councilmember Charles Allen, who played a pivotal role in the passage of the STEER Act, declared the lawsuits reflect the District's commitment to holding individuals to account, "Excellent work by DC Attorney General Schwalb to use a new tool created by the STEER Act to go after people who speed and drive recklessly, putting everyone around them at risk," Allen affirmed and he, along with Schwalb sees this as a turning point for those who neglect DC's traffic laws, they believe that actions like those of Bowman, Curtis, and Carter breach the communal trust and safety afforded by those laws.
Looking ahead, these lawsuits may well stand as a deterrent to non-compliant drivers both in and outside DC borders; with the Attorney General's Office showing their commitment to utilizing the STEER Act to its full extent, the message is clear: whether local or from afar, the consequences for callous driving will be vehemently pursued.
