DC driver with $12k in tickets flees US Park police, kills 3 people

[Anonymous]

Thankfully, wapo is bringing this issue to light. Also DC is still investigating the Rock Creek Pkwy incident.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/05/02/dc-traffic-tickets-driving-penalties/

[Anonymous]

Good Twitter feed on this:

https://twitter.com/rycalder?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

This city is nuts. In a misguided attempt not to disproportionally impact people of color with speeding tickets, they’ve made it so speeding tickets are an equity issue and so they simply won’t enforce anything and safety is impacted in communities of color even more poorly.

This country took Kendi at face value with “any policy with a disparate impact is racist”. I mean there is a definitely racism in the criminal justice system (crack penalties vs coke etc) but speed cameras??? There is no bias there. You can’t just not enforce the law and expect good results.

I don’t know what’ll impact voters more in 2024. Idiotic progressive criminal justice policies likes these or that lunatic republicans want to get rid of abortion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good Twitter feed on this:

https://twitter.com/rycalder?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

This city is nuts. In a misguided attempt not to disproportionally impact people of color with speeding tickets, they’ve made it so speeding tickets are an equity issue and so they simply won’t enforce anything and safety is impacted in communities of color even more poorly.

This country took Kendi at face value with “any policy with a disparate impact is racist”. I mean there is a definitely racism in the criminal justice system (crack penalties vs coke etc) but speed cameras??? There is no bias there. You can’t just not enforce the law and expect good results.

I don’t know what’ll impact voters more in 2024. Idiotic progressive criminal justice policies likes these or that lunatic republicans want to get rid of abortion.

Speed cameras and red light cameras are machines. They do not know if the driver is black or white. And neither being black or white excuses you in any way from running red lights, stop signs or exceeding the speed limit.

The only point that anyone could make regarding disparate impact would be if the traffic corridor coming from a majority black area has 40 traffic cameras but the traffic corridor coming from a majority white area only has 1 traffic camera - or vice-versa - that would be highly questionable. Instead, they should be evenly distributed relative to demographics. And that is what GIS data is for. This city has the means, the tools and the data to figure that out and doesn't have any excuses for not doing traffic cameras or for screwing it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/05/02/dc-traffic-tickets-driving-penalties/

More than 2,100 vehicles have at least 40 outstanding tickets, according to data from the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, and about 1,200 cars are linked to fines exceeding $20,000 over the past five years. Topping the list of offenders is a car with Maryland tags that has 339 outstanding tickets worth $186,000 in fines and penalties.

"Vehicles can rack up fines over years — which the car’s owner is responsible for paying — but the person or people driving those cars can keep their licenses if they do not pay."

Since 2000, more than 3 million photo-issued tickets have gone unpaid in the city for a total of $840.8 million, which includes a doubling of original fines and a 20 percent collection fee applied to outstanding tickets. An additional 2.9 million parking tickets also have gone unpaid, for an extra $398 million in fines and penalties, DMV records show.

For now, the city relies on booting and towing vehicles in hopes that drivers will pay their ticket debts to recover their vehicle. But with only four crews assigned to booting, officials said it is impossible to target high-risk drivers because city workers do not know their locations. Babers said it is likely that offenders “are aware that we boot and tow so they may then park the vehicle in a garage or on private property,” which is off-limits to city crews.

Only 4 crews. And teens were out on my street right after booting, working to get the boots off. What does it even matter if they don't tow immediately and kid criminals are savvy enough to remove boots?

For less than 1% of the amount of the outstanding tickets the city could run two dozen tow truck crews 24x7.

Where would they tow the cars? The city has one impound lot (Blue Plains). It's always full, even now. Having financial agreements with private towing companies opens up a world of problems, as anyone who lived in DC in the 1990s knows too well, and the city will never go back to that system. And DC isn't going to create new impound lots (imagine the YIMBY howls).

Ah well, do nothing and shrug it is then?

No, do something that actually is possible. There is literally no place to put these thousands of towed cars you're dreaming of.

They aren't going to be able to tow thousands of cars overnight. And, they can only keep them for so long - the owners are given a time limit and an ultimatum, they will have to either pay up and retrieve their cars, or face having their cars going to auction or taken to a scrap yard. Either way there won't be vast endless lots with thousands of cars as you suggest.

How about stop coming up with bogus arguments and just pay your tickets?

[Anonymous]

NBC also taking an interest in the issue:

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/dcs-daunting-task-to-boot-impound-cars-with-unpaid-tickets/3340555/

[Anonymous]

So to boil it all down, strip away the bs, it’s basically equity concerns vs traffic fatality considerations and the city as of now is choosing the former.

Doesn’t letting dangerous drivers keep their license, not have to pay tickets, be allowed to driver around with ghost tags without any issues, not be tagged or booted on private property, etc sort of harm everyone of every race?

It’s absurd. Progressive city council members basically can’t and won’t crack down at any cost even if their solution causes fatalities to occur, sort of like the driver with $12k in tickets.

[Anonymous]

Well if anyone wants to, sign this letter. The silence from the council on this is infuriating.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevArxj_e_cPMKaFIRCfsXN0xIitMO-jvHeIEOZsFPg_dpRdg/viewform

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good Twitter feed on this:

https://twitter.com/rycalder?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

This city is nuts. In a misguided attempt not to disproportionally impact people of color with speeding tickets, they’ve made it so speeding tickets are an equity issue and so they simply won’t enforce anything and safety is impacted in communities of color even more poorly.

This country took Kendi at face value with “any policy with a disparate impact is racist”. I mean there is a definitely racism in the criminal justice system (crack penalties vs coke etc) but speed cameras??? There is no bias there. You can’t just not enforce the law and expect good results.

I don’t know what’ll impact voters more in 2024. Idiotic progressive criminal justice policies likes these or that lunatic republicans want to get rid of abortion.

You forgot to mention that, in this instance as in many others, the victims of such partisan idiocy are....people of color and Hispanics (who btw often don't like the racist POC label).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thankfully, wapo is bringing this issue to light. Also DC is still investigating the Rock Creek Pkwy incident.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/05/02/dc-traffic-tickets-driving-penalties/

Surprised that its uncertain about whether they will face criminal charges. Even if their previous history behind the wheel isn't taken into account, they were driving recklessly. What is the threshold for involuntary manslaughter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well if anyone wants to, sign this letter. The silence from the council on this is infuriating.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevArxj_e_cPMKaFIRCfsXN0xIitMO-jvHeIEOZsFPg_dpRdg/viewform

Thank you for sharing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thankfully, wapo is bringing this issue to light. Also DC is still investigating the Rock Creek Pkwy incident.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/05/02/dc-traffic-tickets-driving-penalties/

Surprised that its uncertain about whether they will face criminal charges. Even if their previous history behind the wheel isn't taken into account, they were driving recklessly. What is the threshold for involuntary manslaughter?

It's a Park Police investigation, not MPD. They are not well-equipped for traffic investigations like these so it's going to take a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thankfully, wapo is bringing this issue to light. Also DC is still investigating the Rock Creek Pkwy incident.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2023/05/02/dc-traffic-tickets-driving-penalties/

Surprised that its uncertain about whether they will face criminal charges. Even if their previous history behind the wheel isn't taken into account, they were driving recklessly. What is the threshold for involuntary manslaughter?

It's a Park Police investigation, not MPD. They are not well-equipped for traffic investigations like these so it's going to take a while.

The Post article reports one of the victim's brother-in-law saying he was told at least three months for an update and that he's content to wait if that's what it takes for justice. I hope the family sees that come true.

[Anonymous]

I've heard it would take several dozen tow crews to get the unpaid ticket issue under control. Doing the math, that could be done with for the cost of a single digit percentage of the outstanding ticket balance, and I'm sure it would also bring a lot of the compliance issues under control, once people realize the city is serious about it. Everyone should write Council and the Mayor and tell them to make it happen. As for disparity, distribute the cameras equally across all demographics. And, consider that nobody's race and income level gives excuse or license to speed, run red lights and stop lights, make illegal turns, et cetera.

[Anonymous]

Charles Allen will do for traffic safety what he did for public safety.

[Anonymous]

So long as there are people on the Council who believe dangerous drivers should be allowed to keep their drivers licenses -- and that's nearly all of the CMs -- nothing will change. You all voted for this.