The amount of debt the District of Columbia is currently owed by drivers totals $835,750,067, NBC 4 Washington reported, attributing the data to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act.
Over five million unpaid tickets issued in Washington, D.C. include parking tickets, speed and red light tickets, some of which are from 20 years ago.
Drivers based in the DMV area top the list of those who didn’t pay their fines to D.C., consisting around 85 percent of the whole debt. Virginia drivers owe $207 million, while Maryland drivers owe $415 million and D.C. residents’ debt is $90 million.
Embassies are also on the records for nearly $750,000 in unpaid fines. Saudi Arabia’s embassy has the largest share with more than $65,000 due.
“I would want to evaluate what we’re doing to collect money that’s owed to the District of Columbia and I’ll work with our team in operations of infrastructure to get me some recommendations,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said regarding the disclosure.
The general public is concerned that not collecting traffic fines may encourage violators.
“It’s not about the revenue. It’s about changing behavior and making the streets safe for everybody,” Greg Billing, Executive Director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association told NBC 4 Washington.