For the next two months, a new enforcement effort is underway in the D.C. to target reckless drivers.
New safety corridors are being set up along New York Avenue NE from Fourth Street to Bladensburg Road, and South Capitol Street from Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue to Southern Avenue.
Speeding, not wearing a seat belt and distracted driving are some of the things for which Metropolitan Police Department officers will be stopping drivers.
"We don't care what state is on your car. We don't care who the person is that's driving. If you are committing a traffic infraction and we observe it, we are going to pull you over and you are going to face that consequence,” said Carlos Heraud, the assistant chief of MPD’s Homeland Security Bureau.
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Like many other jurisdictions, the District has a Vision Zero goal to eliminate all traffic fatalities and injuries.
Last year, there were 52 traffic fatalities. So far this year, there have been three, according to MPD.
The D.C. Department of Transportation said many of these incidents could be prevented with better driving.
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"Unfortunately, when you look at traffic fatalities and you unpack what's really going on, over 80% of those have some high-risk, problematic behavior by the driver," said DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum. "Those are fleeing a traffic stop, running a red light, stolen vehicle."
Kershbaum says roads around the District are being designed to slow drivers down. When speed and red light cameras are combined, serious crashes are trending downward. Still, drivers need to be more careful.
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Rick Birt, the director of D.C.'s Highway Safety Office, said city officials aren’t looking to issue tickets but instead to help change driver behavior.
“I hope we issue zero tickets,” Birt said. “We want to make sure that we are getting the message out to drivers that if you are going to be on our roadways, you're following those rules."
District leaders say people will see more signs along these safety corridors as enforcement begins.
