D.C. targets Maryland, Virginia drivers with hundreds of violations in new lawsuits

State of play: D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb's office has filed one suit against a Maryland driver who he says racked up over 300 speeding tickets in two years' time.

• Schwalb also filed his first suits against Virginia drivers, suing four who he says have amassed more than 800 traffic violations in D.C. for speeding, running signs and lights, and other violations.

By the numbers: The five defendants owe D.C. around $425,000 in unpaid tickets and fees, per Schwalb.

• $187,000: The most a single defendant owes D.C. for nearly 350 traffic infractions.
• 61: The number of speeding tickets a defendant owes that are 30+ mph over the limit, which constitutes reckless driving.
• 15 years: How far back one of the driver's alleged infractions extend. That individual's list of violations includes 30 citations for speeding, 20 for running red lights, and 15 for running stop signs.

Follow the money: The city's "scofflaw program" that boots and tows cars with outstanding tickets has recently accrued over $1 million in fines and towed over 700 vehicles, per the City Administrator.

The big picture: The new laws seek to curb pedestrian and traffic deaths. Mayor Bowser campaigned to eliminate them by 2024 as part of her "Vision Zero" initiative, only to face record-high fatalities in recent years.

• So far this year, D.C. has tracked five traffic deaths — compared to 17 to date last year, down by 71%.