Not so fast…

Despite recent forward progress on the “Motor Vehicle Recovery Act of 2015,” the D.C. Council Committee on the Judiciary is delaying work on the bill until the fall. Last week, we announced the bill would have a markup hearing before the Council’s summer recess, but today, the Committee on the Judiciary’s mark-up hearing agenda did not include it. The bill will have to wait until the fall when the Council returns from recess. The Judiciary Committee cited other remaining business before the committee as the reason for the delay. While tight schedules are understandable, delaying this bill will directly impact hundreds of District residents over the next few months. There at least 3-4 crashes every day involving a pedestrian or bicyclist in D.C. Many of these injured victims will be denied recovery of damages and medical expenses because of the current law. The “Motor Vehicle Recovery Act of 2015” will abolish the unfair and out-of-date negligence standard that allows insurance companies to deny injured victim’s claims after a crash with a driver. We are disappointed to see progress on this important piece of legislation delayed until September. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (Ward 5 – D) is the chair of the Judiciary Committee. If you wish to express your opinion about the delay of this bill, please send him an email or call his office at (202) 724-8028. Learn more about this issue and WABA’s campaign to make the law fair for vulnerable road users involved in crashes