DC traffic cameras issued 3.3 MILLION tickets last year

[Anonymous]

Sounds like they need to install more traffic cameras and red light cameras until driving improves.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Did you know there's almost no stop sign cameras west of the park? I wonder how that happens....

Wealthiest neighborhoods in DC have little to no traffic cameras. For instance, you will never catch a traffic camera on Chain Bridge Road.

Drivers in black neighborhoods are 17 times more likely to be ticketed in DC than drivers in white neighborhoods.

OK. How many times are drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists in black neighborhoods more likely to be killed or injured by traffic violence than drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists in white neighborhoods?

You don’t know, do you?

If only you cared as much about those whose lives are shattered by reckless drivers as much as those reckless drivers who get ticketed.

It's extremely rate for anyone of any color in Washington D.C. to be killed by a speeding driver.

I knew someone who was killed in DC - on a crosswalk - by a speeding driver who had amassed thousands of dollars in unpaid fines. You can her death “rate” (sic) and advocate against policies that make our streets safer. I will call her death her preventable and advocate for policies that will prevent DC residents from being frightened, injured, maimed, and killed by reckless drivers.

The driver in this scenario is an extreme outlier. Most people in this city are perfectly safe drivers. The question is why DDOT is burying the city in 3 million tickets when the problem is a tiny number of reckless drivers. It's the traffic equivalent of stationing National Guard troops on every corner in the city because some guy somewhere stabbed someone.

Are you really so dense that you believe those 3 million tickets are uniformly distributed across the population? No, a relatively small number of extremely careless drivers get the tickets. They are outliers and that’s the point. Were their dangerous behavior being appropriately sanctioned victims like Patricia Bullinger would still be alive.

Aside from there being zero evidence that's the case, it's clear you don't drive and also that your math skills are nonexistent. I dont know what you mean by a "tiny" number of drivers but do the math. Do you think those 3.3 million tickets went to, like, 100 people? They'd have to get 90 tickets a day, every single day of the year, for the math to work. Oh you meant 500 people? Doesn't really seem "tiny" but the math is still silly. They'd have to get 18 tickets every single day. 1000 people? 1000 extremely careless drivers seems like a major problem, but I'm pretty sure there's not a single person who gets 9 tickets every single day.

The DC lab study identified 100,000 high risk drivers.

Seems a little ridiculous, no? How do so many supposedly high risk drivers produce so few traffic fatalities? Also, exactly how many drivers do you think there are in DC?

There are a lot of non-fatal accidents, roughly 40 per day that merit a police report. Plus evasive maneuvers by everyone else on foot/biking/driving. Some roads like 295 get too congested to get fatal accidents very often, even with bad driving. Additionally some people just flat out avoid certain roads at certain times a day.

Not to mention that all of us who own vehicles pay for these accidents through elevated insurance premiums. People complain about equity and cameras, but the reality is that the truly awful behavior of some drivers in DC - and the failure of the DC government to take those drivers off the road - pushes the cost of owning a legally-insured car out of the reach of many poor families.

Give me a break. The rates DC charges for tickets is nothing short of predatory. You can owe $1200 for a single traffic ticket.

You're making stuff up again. Here's the fine schedule:

18-2200.1 SPEED 11-15 OVR LIMT $100
18-2200.1 SPEED 16-20 OVR LIMT $150
18-2200.1 SPEED 21-25 OVR LIMT $200
18-2200 OVER 25 MPH CONTROLLED $400
18-2200 OVER 25 MPH NON-CONTROLLED $500

The fines can be cut in half if you qualify for SNAP benefits (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAdIRBjCS2I).

So in DC, you can do 100mph in a 25mph zone and the fine can be as little as $200. That's absurd. Try speeding in a rural county in the south and see what happens. It's going to cost you a hell of a lot more than $200, I can guarantee you.

Heck, even Virginia routinely sends drivers to jail - including one Nats outfielder and an automotive journalist - for doing over 80mph on open roads.

If you really think DC fines are "predatory", about the best thing I can say about you is that you lack context.

The fees double after 30 days, and there's a 20 percent surcharge on top of that. You can read more here:

Predatory Penalties: How Late Fees on DC Traffic Tickets Punish the Poor

https://www.dcfpi.org/all/predatory-penalties-late-fees-dc-traffic-tickets-punish-poor/

So pay your ticket. You have control over late fees.

Or don't speed in the first place. Drivers have control over that as well.

Take responsibility for your behavior! Sheesh!

Let me remind everyone how traffic laws work in DC:

12 year old driving an ATV down the middle of Connecticut Avenue during rush hour: no penalty

Moped driver blowing stop sign at 40 mph: no penalty

Motorcyclist blowing stop sign at 40 mph: no penalty

Cyclist with infant placed in basket in front of bike: no penalty

Cyclist with two small children on back with no helmets: no penalty

Man on e-bike going 35mph with child in lap with no helmet: no penalty

Car driver going 50 mph in a 25 mph zone with no traffic cameras: no penalty

Car driver doesnt stop at stop sign for full three seconds at empty intersection with camera: $100, doubled after 30 days

Please tell us what consequences arise if that $100 fine is not paid?

Almost of the other behaviors you mention violate DC traffic or child endangerment laws and fall well within the remit of MPD's enforcement authority. Not many people here will disagree with the argument that there should be more of that enforcement activity.

There's lots of consequences, which is why the statistics show most people pay their tickets. But it's hard not to feel like a sucker for paying when the city doesn't enforce any laws on any other mode of transportation. I see cyclists and people on e-bikes putting young children in imminent danger on a regular basis. Has a cyclist ever been issued a ticket in this city for anything at all? Has there been even one instance?

You claim that there are “lots of consequences” for not paying tickets and yet you can’t name one.

Are you really this stupid?

-Tickets double after a month
-A 20 percent surcharge applies after that
-The city sicks a collections agent after you who will call and text you every single day
-Your license can be suspended
-Your license can be revoked
-Your car can be booted or towed
-It will hurt your credit score
-You can't renew your driver's license
-You can't register a car
-The government will take the money out of your tax refund
-The government will sue you

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you know there's almost no stop sign cameras west of the park? I wonder how that happens....

Wealthiest neighborhoods in DC have little to no traffic cameras. For instance, you will never catch a traffic camera on Chain Bridge Road.

Drivers in black neighborhoods are 17 times more likely to be ticketed in DC than drivers in white neighborhoods.

OK. How many times are drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists in black neighborhoods more likely to be killed or injured by traffic violence than drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists in white neighborhoods?

You don’t know, do you?

If only you cared as much about those whose lives are shattered by reckless drivers as much as those reckless drivers who get ticketed.

It's extremely rate for anyone of any color in Washington D.C. to be killed by a speeding driver.

I knew someone who was killed in DC - on a crosswalk - by a speeding driver who had amassed thousands of dollars in unpaid fines. You can her death “rate” (sic) and advocate against policies that make our streets safer. I will call her death her preventable and advocate for policies that will prevent DC residents from being frightened, injured, maimed, and killed by reckless drivers.

The driver in this scenario is an extreme outlier. Most people in this city are perfectly safe drivers. The question is why DDOT is burying the city in 3 million tickets when the problem is a tiny number of reckless drivers. It's the traffic equivalent of stationing National Guard troops on every corner in the city because some guy somewhere stabbed someone.

Are you really so dense that you believe those 3 million tickets are uniformly distributed across the population? No, a relatively small number of extremely careless drivers get the tickets. They are outliers and that’s the point. Were their dangerous behavior being appropriately sanctioned victims like Patricia Bullinger would still be alive.

Aside from there being zero evidence that's the case, it's clear you don't drive and also that your math skills are nonexistent. I dont know what you mean by a "tiny" number of drivers but do the math. Do you think those 3.3 million tickets went to, like, 100 people? They'd have to get 90 tickets a day, every single day of the year, for the math to work. Oh you meant 500 people? Doesn't really seem "tiny" but the math is still silly. They'd have to get 18 tickets every single day. 1000 people? 1000 extremely careless drivers seems like a major problem, but I'm pretty sure there's not a single person who gets 9 tickets every single day.

The DC lab study identified 100,000 high risk drivers.

Seems a little ridiculous, no? How do so many supposedly high risk drivers produce so few traffic fatalities? Also, exactly how many drivers do you think there are in DC?

There are a lot of non-fatal accidents, roughly 40 per day that merit a police report. Plus evasive maneuvers by everyone else on foot/biking/driving. Some roads like 295 get too congested to get fatal accidents very often, even with bad driving. Additionally some people just flat out avoid certain roads at certain times a day.

Not to mention that all of us who own vehicles pay for these accidents through elevated insurance premiums. People complain about equity and cameras, but the reality is that the truly awful behavior of some drivers in DC - and the failure of the DC government to take those drivers off the road - pushes the cost of owning a legally-insured car out of the reach of many poor families.

Give me a break. The rates DC charges for tickets is nothing short of predatory. You can owe $1200 for a single traffic ticket.

You're making stuff up again. Here's the fine schedule:

18-2200.1 SPEED 11-15 OVR LIMT $100
18-2200.1 SPEED 16-20 OVR LIMT $150
18-2200.1 SPEED 21-25 OVR LIMT $200
18-2200 OVER 25 MPH CONTROLLED $400
18-2200 OVER 25 MPH NON-CONTROLLED $500

The fines can be cut in half if you qualify for SNAP benefits (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAdIRBjCS2I).

So in DC, you can do 100mph in a 25mph zone and the fine can be as little as $200. That's absurd. Try speeding in a rural county in the south and see what happens. It's going to cost you a hell of a lot more than $200, I can guarantee you.

Heck, even Virginia routinely sends drivers to jail - including one Nats outfielder and an automotive journalist - for doing over 80mph on open roads.

If you really think DC fines are "predatory", about the best thing I can say about you is that you lack context.

The fees double after 30 days, and there's a 20 percent surcharge on top of that. You can read more here:

Predatory Penalties: How Late Fees on DC Traffic Tickets Punish the Poor

https://www.dcfpi.org/all/predatory-penalties-late-fees-dc-traffic-tickets-punish-poor/

So pay your ticket. You have control over late fees.

Or don't speed in the first place. Drivers have control over that as well.

Take responsibility for your behavior! Sheesh!

Let me remind everyone how traffic laws work in DC:

12 year old driving an ATV down the middle of Connecticut Avenue during rush hour: no penalty

Moped driver blowing stop sign at 40 mph: no penalty

Motorcyclist blowing stop sign at 40 mph: no penalty

Cyclist with infant placed in basket in front of bike: no penalty

Cyclist with two small children on back with no helmets: no penalty

Man on e-bike going 35mph with child in lap with no helmet: no penalty

Car driver going 50 mph in a 25 mph zone with no traffic cameras: no penalty

Car driver doesnt stop at stop sign for full three seconds at empty intersection with camera: $100, doubled after 30 days

Please tell us what consequences arise if that $100 fine is not paid?

Almost of the other behaviors you mention violate DC traffic or child endangerment laws and fall well within the remit of MPD's enforcement authority. Not many people here will disagree with the argument that there should be more of that enforcement activity.

There's lots of consequences, which is why the statistics show most people pay their tickets. But it's hard not to feel like a sucker for paying when the city doesn't enforce any laws on any other mode of transportation. I see cyclists and people on e-bikes putting young children in imminent danger on a regular basis. Has a cyclist ever been issued a ticket in this city for anything at all? Has there been even one instance?

The answer is no. There's 3 million tickets for drivers. Zero tickets for everyone else, regardless of how many lives they put at risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you know there's almost no stop sign cameras west of the park? I wonder how that happens....

Wealthiest neighborhoods in DC have little to no traffic cameras. For instance, you will never catch a traffic camera on Chain Bridge Road.

Drivers in black neighborhoods are 17 times more likely to be ticketed in DC than drivers in white neighborhoods.

OK. How many times are drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists in black neighborhoods more likely to be killed or injured by traffic violence than drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists in white neighborhoods?

You don’t know, do you?

If only you cared as much about those whose lives are shattered by reckless drivers as much as those reckless drivers who get ticketed.

It's extremely rate for anyone of any color in Washington D.C. to be killed by a speeding driver.

I knew someone who was killed in DC - on a crosswalk - by a speeding driver who had amassed thousands of dollars in unpaid fines. You can her death “rate” (sic) and advocate against policies that make our streets safer. I will call her death her preventable and advocate for policies that will prevent DC residents from being frightened, injured, maimed, and killed by reckless drivers.

The driver in this scenario is an extreme outlier. Most people in this city are perfectly safe drivers. The question is why DDOT is burying the city in 3 million tickets when the problem is a tiny number of reckless drivers. It's the traffic equivalent of stationing National Guard troops on every corner in the city because some guy somewhere stabbed someone.

Are you really so dense that you believe those 3 million tickets are uniformly distributed across the population? No, a relatively small number of extremely careless drivers get the tickets. They are outliers and that’s the point. Were their dangerous behavior being appropriately sanctioned victims like Patricia Bullinger would still be alive.

Aside from there being zero evidence that's the case, it's clear you don't drive and also that your math skills are nonexistent. I dont know what you mean by a "tiny" number of drivers but do the math. Do you think those 3.3 million tickets went to, like, 100 people? They'd have to get 90 tickets a day, every single day of the year, for the math to work. Oh you meant 500 people? Doesn't really seem "tiny" but the math is still silly. They'd have to get 18 tickets every single day. 1000 people? 1000 extremely careless drivers seems like a major problem, but I'm pretty sure there's not a single person who gets 9 tickets every single day.

The DC lab study identified 100,000 high risk drivers.

Seems a little ridiculous, no? How do so many supposedly high risk drivers produce so few traffic fatalities? Also, exactly how many drivers do you think there are in DC?

There are a lot of non-fatal accidents, roughly 40 per day that merit a police report. Plus evasive maneuvers by everyone else on foot/biking/driving. Some roads like 295 get too congested to get fatal accidents very often, even with bad driving. Additionally some people just flat out avoid certain roads at certain times a day.

Not to mention that all of us who own vehicles pay for these accidents through elevated insurance premiums. People complain about equity and cameras, but the reality is that the truly awful behavior of some drivers in DC - and the failure of the DC government to take those drivers off the road - pushes the cost of owning a legally-insured car out of the reach of many poor families.

Give me a break. The rates DC charges for tickets is nothing short of predatory. You can owe $1200 for a single traffic ticket.

You're making stuff up again. Here's the fine schedule:

18-2200.1 SPEED 11-15 OVR LIMT $100
18-2200.1 SPEED 16-20 OVR LIMT $150
18-2200.1 SPEED 21-25 OVR LIMT $200
18-2200 OVER 25 MPH CONTROLLED $400
18-2200 OVER 25 MPH NON-CONTROLLED $500

The fines can be cut in half if you qualify for SNAP benefits (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAdIRBjCS2I).

So in DC, you can do 100mph in a 25mph zone and the fine can be as little as $200. That's absurd. Try speeding in a rural county in the south and see what happens. It's going to cost you a hell of a lot more than $200, I can guarantee you.

Heck, even Virginia routinely sends drivers to jail - including one Nats outfielder and an automotive journalist - for doing over 80mph on open roads.

If you really think DC fines are "predatory", about the best thing I can say about you is that you lack context.

The fees double after 30 days, and there's a 20 percent surcharge on top of that. You can read more here:

Predatory Penalties: How Late Fees on DC Traffic Tickets Punish the Poor

https://www.dcfpi.org/all/predatory-penalties-late-fees-dc-traffic-tickets-punish-poor/

So pay your ticket. You have control over late fees.

Or don't speed in the first place. Drivers have control over that as well.

Take responsibility for your behavior! Sheesh!

Let me remind everyone how traffic laws work in DC:

12 year old driving an ATV down the middle of Connecticut Avenue during rush hour: no penalty

Moped driver blowing stop sign at 40 mph: no penalty

Motorcyclist blowing stop sign at 40 mph: no penalty

Cyclist with infant placed in basket in front of bike: no penalty

Cyclist with two small children on back with no helmets: no penalty

Man on e-bike going 35mph with child in lap with no helmet: no penalty

Car driver going 50 mph in a 25 mph zone with no traffic cameras: no penalty

Car driver doesnt stop at stop sign for full three seconds at empty intersection with camera: $100, doubled after 30 days

Please tell us what consequences arise if that $100 fine is not paid?

Almost of the other behaviors you mention violate DC traffic or child endangerment laws and fall well within the remit of MPD's enforcement authority. Not many people here will disagree with the argument that there should be more of that enforcement activity.

There's lots of consequences, which is why the statistics show most people pay their tickets. But it's hard not to feel like a sucker for paying when the city doesn't enforce any laws on any other mode of transportation. I see cyclists and people on e-bikes putting young children in imminent danger on a regular basis. Has a cyclist ever been issued a ticket in this city for anything at all? Has there been even one instance?

You claim that there are “lots of consequences” for not paying tickets and yet you can’t name one.

Are you really this stupid?

-Tickets double after a month
-A 20 percent surcharge applies after that
-The city sicks a collections agent after you who will call and text you every single day
-Your license can be suspended
-Your license can be revoked
-Your car can be booted or towed
-It will hurt your credit score
-You can't renew your driver's license
-You can't register a car
-The government will take the money out of your tax refund
-The government will sue you

This is DC we are talking about. I wish you were right but unfortunately you are dead wrong about almost all of these. The STEER Act does direct the DC AG to sue owners with outstanding fines, but in practice that’s not happening unless you are in the $100k club.