Another Day in the Banality of Traffic Violence

Another day, another driver causing mayhem on the streets of Georgetown. And once again the only thing keeping this from being fatal is the dumb luck of there being no pedestrian simply standing on the sidewalk at the wrong time.

This crash occurred yesterday morning at the intersection of Wisconsin Ave. and R St. It’s unclear to GM what specifically occurred but it appears the driver of the light gray car smashed it into the dark gray BMW. The collision had enough force and momentum to send the BMW careening onto the sidewalk.

No one appears to have been standing there at the time, but again, that’s just due to luck. GM himself was at that exact spot just minutes before. Surely dozens of families walked through here to school during the same time period.

Again this is (at least!) the third driver in three months to be driving so recklessly on Wisconsin Ave. that they end up smashing onto the sidewalk. The city, from the Mayor down to the ANC is not putting enough focus on reducing traffic violence in Georgetown. Drivers have lost all sense of accountability and fear no enforcement.

As a basic starting matter, Wisconsin Ave. should be plastered with speed and red light cameras. The upper part of Wisconsin Ave near R St. is particularly dangerous. Although local news stations are always ready to amplify the voices of scofflaw drivers who whine when they’re finally caught breaking the law, the fact is that cameras work to slow drivers and prevent crashes. It’s appalling that there is only one camera in Georgetown despite the fact we have so much car traffic in such a pedestrian-heavy area.

And further, the Council and Mayor need to figure out a way to bring repeat offenders to heel. The current strategy is simply not working, and seems to only be encouraging more abuse (like, for instance, people openly selling fake paper tags on Facebook). The city has tried nothing, and it’s all out of ideas.

Three drivers in three months putting all of us at risk of death or serious injury. Soon our luck will run out, and the bloodletting that took 40 lives across the District last year will continue on Georgetown’s streets and sidewalks.