


District of Columbia officials on Thursday said they’ve booted and towed more than 800 vehicles in the past two months that racked up over $2 million in fines as authorities try to pump the brakes on lawless driving in the city.
The city’s Department of Public Works said the enforcement push that started in early April had tow teams haul away 69 vehicles responsible for $604,404 in traffic tickets.
DPW also said its crackdown included booting 777 vehicles tied to $1,591,214 in unpaid fines.
“Drivers who ignore citations endanger all roadway users by fostering a culture of disregard for our laws,” DPW Director Timothy Spriggs said in a statement. “Identifying and impounding vehicles that have racked up significant fines can be complex, but our scofflaw search teams are getting results and are getting these vehicles off of our streets.”
The sweep was done as part of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Vision Zero initiative that aims to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries in D.C., public works officials said.
DPW said it used license plate readers to find “scofflaw vehicles” and where they were most concentrated.
One cluster in Ward 2 saw enforcement teams boot 46 cars that had $92,000 in fees, the department said.
Officials said plans to open a second impound lot this summer will let authorities tow away an additional 300 vehicles that are skirting the law by disregarding fines.
The department said vehicles with at least two unpaid parking or photo enforcement tickets are eligible to be towed after 60 days.
“Impound lot capacity is the main limitation on towing enforcement operations; the addition of a third lot will significantly boost DPW towing capacity,” the department said in a release. “All fines, boot and/or towing, and storage fees must be satisfied before a vehicle is released.”
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.