The following statement is from DC Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6) following today’s announcement that DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb secured nine court judgments against dangerous drivers using the authority given to his office under Councilmember Allen’s STEER Act – including against the driver who struck a student on Capitol Hill while she was in a crosswalk walking home from school.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2026
Contact: Taylor Cogan
202-727-8231

The Attorney General also entered into five settlement agreements against dangerous drivers and announced five new STEER Act lawsuits, including one against a Maryland driver who racked up 910 traffic citations, with 826 speeding tickets across 21 license plates in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

Councilmember Allen authored the Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility (STEER) Act and shepherded the bill through the Council, where it passed unanimously in February 2024. The law grants the Attorney General the authority to bring civil suits against vehicles for tickets issued by traffic cameras, to put in place a first-in-the-nation speed governor program for those convicted in court of criminal reckless driving, and it created a priority towing system focused on vehicles with high numbers of speeding and other dangerous traffic citations.

Statement:

“Spread the word far and wide – if you drive dangerously and flout the law in the District of Columbia, you’ll be held accountable. It doesn’t matter where you live. And I’ll provide a few simple tricks to avoid finding yourself in court facing off against DC’s Attorney General: slow down, don’t run a stop sign, and don’t run a red light. I want to commend Attorney General Schwalb and his team for their aggressive prosecution of dangerous drivers, knowing every time we hold someone accountable, we’re going to save lives.”