- DC is texting its drivers to remind them to drive safely in a new messaging program on road safety.
- Drivers with recent citations or violations may get text messages and mailers, per The Washington Post.
If you've ever run a red light and breathed a sigh of relief thinking the traffic camera didn't catch you, the jig is up. Your bad driving might just follow you home.
Residents of Washington, DC, who have previous traffic violations will soon be receiving targeted text messages and physical mailers reminding them to drive safely, The Washington Post reported.
The DC Department of Transportation is working with The Lab @ DC, which is dedicated to the district's local projects, to directly contact DC drivers in the city's efforts to curb crashes and traffic violations.
"Targeting messages to higher-risk drivers is an innovative approach to help us improve safety for all our roadway users, especially for our most vulnerable users — children and pedestrians," DDOT Director Everett Lott told The Post in a statement.
There are about 100,000 drivers in the DC area (including those drivers registered in states neighboring the district) who have been identified as high risk with at least two citations in the last 18 months, according to The Post.
"Someone in your household is driving dangerously," one mailer says, according to The Post. "Your vehicle has a history of speeding and/or running red lights and this is placing the drivers and passengers of your vehicle at a high risk of getting into a crash."
While the messages themselves are not citations, they will include copies of previous citations, The Post reported. They will also advise drivers to stop at red lights and of the financial benefits of safe driving.
The program's cost is relatively low compared to other road safety initiatives, Sam Quinney, the director at The Lab @ DC, told the Post.
"The goal is to create awareness, regardless of whether or not anybody has signed off for specific alerts," Quinney told the outlet. "So, if they have an impact and reduce crashes, that becomes another tool in our tool kit."