Following on the heels of Cheh's Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Act, Mayor Bowser has transmitted the Vision Zero Act of 2015 to the Council for their consideration.

This bill does several things geared towards making DC's roads safer.

Like Cheh's bill, it would codify a Complete Streets policy as law It would ban the use of dirt bikes and ATVs on DC streets (I thought this was already the law) It establishes an Ignition Interlock Device Program that repeat offenders or 1-time offenders with particularly high BAC will be required to install. It changes the fines and jail sentences of drunk drivers It Increases the fine for distracted driving from $100 to $500 and adds 2 points

So, not as sweeping as Cheh's bill and the distracted driving part isn't as good as the Mendelsohn's Enhanced Penalties for Distracted Driving Act of 2015, but it represents a growing consensus that safety legislation is needed - specifically with respect to Complete Streets and distracted driving.