D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb is suing three Maryland drivers for not paying thousands of dollars in speeding and reckless driving tickets.

The lawsuits are the first to be filed under the city’s Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education and Responsibility (STEER) Act that allows the city to sue out-of-city drivers for their unpaid fines, Mr. Schwalb said in a statement Friday. The law went into effect in October.

All three drivers are registered under multiple Maryland license plates, and one of them also has a set of Virginia plates.

Laurel resident Andre Bowman owes $36,986 for fines, fees and penalties for 135 offenses committed from August 2013 through March 2024. He racked up the fines with five Maryland license plates.

Of his violations, 68 are for driving 11-15 mph over the speed limit, 17 for going 16-20 mph over the speed limit, and nine for reckless driving, defined as driving more than 20 mph over the speed limit. Three of the reckless driving tickets are for aggravated reckless driving, meaning he went faster than 30 mph over the speed limit, according to the complaint filed against him.

Leon Carter, also a Laurel resident, owes $30,666 for 84 violations committed from 2013 to 2022 on cars with five Maryland license plates and one Virginia license plate. Of his tickets, 80 are for speeding, 19 of which are for reckless driving, according to court documents.

Earl Curtis, a District Heights resident, owes $27,882 for 115 offenses committed from December 2012 across cars with five Maryland license plates. Of those, 43 were for speeding and 14 were for other unsafe driving, including running red lights.

Mr. Curtis struck a child in a crosswalk at Sixth and D streets in Northeast on Sept. 9, 2024, fracturing her right foot. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving, a misdemeanor, on Feb. 7, and was given a 90-day prison sentence, 84 days of which were suspended, according to the complaint filed against him.

“Traffic deaths in the District are at historic levels — 52 people tragically lost their lives in traffic crashes last year alone. … Like the three defendants we’ve sued today, many of the drivers wreaking havoc on our streets come from outside D.C. and have snubbed their noses at our traffic laws … I plan to enforce this new law aggressively,” Mr. Schwalb said in his announcement.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.