“Innocent unless proven guilty” is the presumption of innocence in courtrooms across the U.S., but members of the D.C. Council are looking for ways to keep dangerous drivers off the road in the meantime.
At-large Councilmember Christina Henderson presented legislation that would suspend the license and registration of vehicles owned by drivers who are arrested for violations, and keep them off the road during what can be a lengthy court process. Currently in the District, a driver’s license can only be suspended after a conviction for certain serious traffic violations.
Violations included in the License Suspension Reform Amendment Act of 2023, introduced by Henderson, include:
- Negligent homicide where death is due to operation of a vehicle
- Leaving the scene of an accident in which the motor vehicle driven by the person is involved and in which there is personal injury
- Driving while intoxicated or while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug or any combination
“If someone is driving under the influence and seriously injures another person as a result of their negligence, they shouldn’t be able to continue with their driving privileges for untold months while a case is being adjudicated,” Henderson said in a news release. “This is a gap in the law we should address.”
A second bill would increase the penalties of moving violations detected by traffic cameras, and impound parked vehicles with multiple unpaid moving violations.
The Automated Traffic Enforcement Effectiveness Amendment Act of 2023 would treat moving violations caught by automated traffic enforcement cameras the same as moving violations in which a member of law enforcement writes a ticket. Currently, violations detected by traffic cameras only result in a fine, while tickets from police also result in the assessment of points against driving records.
Additionally, the bill would require D.C.’s Department of Transportation to start phasing in cameras that can capture footage of the front of a vehicle by 2025. Current cameras snap automated photos of the rear license plate of a vehicle.
In an effort to encourage compliance from drivers with out-of-state tags, the bill would require DDOT to notify a driver’s automobile insurance provider when the driver accrues five moving violations.
A parked vehicle with five or more unpaid moving violations would require the vehicle be towed or immobilized under the bill, which was co-introduced by Councilmembers Charles Allen, Brianne Nadeau, Brooke Pinto and Janeese Lewis George.
The proposed legislation comes weeks after scrutiny over why a repeat DUI offender still had a driver’s license before allegedly killing three people in a crash along Rock Creek Parkway. Council members did not say that the case motivated introducing the bills.
