If you thought crossing into Maryland and Virginia could get you out of paying those driving tickets you got in D.C., think again.
On Tuesday, the Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education and Responsibility (STEER) Act went into effect in D.C. to combat dangerous drivers who don’t live in the District.
Under the new law, Attorney General for the District of Columbia Brian Schwalb will be able to sue drivers who haven’t paid tens of thousands of dollars in traffic fines — even if they don’t live in the District. Prior to this, Maryland and Virginia drivers could rack up tickets in D.C. and not be held accountable.
“The Attorney General is hiring two attorneys who are going to work full time on this, and they’re going to be taking people who have these huge sums, and they’re going to take them to court,” said D.C. Council member Charles Allen.
The bill was unanimously passed in February earlier this year, after the District saw 52 traffic deaths in 2023, an increase from 35 in 2022.
Under the STEER Act of 2024, the D.C. area can also now install an intelligent speed assistance system in the vehicles of drivers convicted of reckless driving. This is part of a new pilot program will limit the car’s speed automatically.
The STEER Act would also establish a new points system for vehicles repeatedly caught speeding. If a vehicle accumulates 10 points in a six-month window, it immediately becomes eligible for booting and towing. Under the bill, points are accumulated as follows:
- Speeding 11-15 mph over the limit — 2 points
- Speeding 16-19 mph over the limit — 3 points
- Speeding 20+ mph over the limit — 5 points
- Reckless driving — 5 points
- Aggravated reckless driving — 10 points
“It’s dangerous,” Allen said. “We have lost lives over this, and in the District, we’re not just going to sit back anymore.”
In a post on X, Schwalb added that “Allen is 100% right — too many people, especially from outside the District, feel like they can drive recklessly on our streets without consequences.”
Victims of auto theft will not be responsible for tickets accumulated while stolen.
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