Section 18-2000. OBEDIENCE TO TRAFFIC REGULATIONS

 

2000.1It is unlawful for any person to do any act forbidden or fail to perform any act required in this subtitle.

 

2000.2No person shall fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order or direction of any police officer, police cadet, or civilian crossing guard invested by law with authority to direct, control, or regulate traffic. This section shall apply to pedestrians and to the operators of vehicles.

 

2000.3The owner of a vehicle shall be presumed to be the operator when any violations of these regulations may occur, unless he or she proves to the contrary.

 

2000.4The driver of any vehicle shall obey the instructions of any official traffic control device applicable to the vehicle which has been placed in accordance with the provisions of this subtitle, unless otherwise directed by a police officer, subject to the exceptions granted the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle in this chapter.

 

2000.5No provision of this subtitle for which signs are required shall be enforced against an alleged violator if, at the time and place of the alleged violation, an official sign is not in proper position and sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinarily observant person.

 

2000.6Whenever a particular section does not state that signs are required, that section shall be effective even though no signs are erected or in place.

 

2000.7Each person riding an animal or driving any animal-drawn vehicle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this subtitle, except those provisions of this subtitle which by their very nature can have no application.

 

2000.8Nothing in this subtitle shall be construed as repealing, annulling, or in any way superseding outstanding regulations or orders of the Public Service Commission or the Joint Board relating to common carriers.

 

2000.9Any person violating any of the provisions of this subtitle for which a penalty is not specifically provided shall, upon determination of liability therefor, be subject to a civil fine or other sanction(s) pursuant to the District of Columbia Traffic Adjudication Act.

 

2000.10Any person who fails to comply with the requirements of this section shall, upon conviction, be fined not less than one hundred dollars ($ 100) nor more than one thousand dollars ($ 1,000).

 

2000.11The collateral to be paid for release prior to, a hearing for a charge based upon a violation of subsection 2000.2 shall be one-hundred dollars ($ 100) for a first offense, five-hundred dollars ($ 500) for a second offense committed within the past twelve (12) months, and one-thousand dollars ($ 1000) for a third offense and each subsequent offense committed within the past twelve (12) months.

 

2000.12For purposes of calculating multiple offenses under subsection 2000.11, violations shall be counted that occurred before the effective date of the Collateral Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 1996.

 

2000.13Collateral may be posted and forfeited for a violation of subsection 2000.2, but the Corporation Counsel may, at the time of application for a warrant, petition a judge presiding in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia ex parte, to set bond and abrogate the privileges of the violator to forfeit collateral.

 

authority

Unless otherwise noted, the authority for this chapter is § 6 of the District of Columbia Traffic Act of 1925, approved March 2, 1925, 43 Stat. 1119, 1121 (D.C. Code § 40-701, et seq.); and §412 of the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act as amended 87 Stat. 790, Pub.L. No.93-198, D.C. Code §1 - 227(a).

source

Commissioners’ Order 274,310/949 effective September 1, 1949, 17 DCRR §§ 2, 3, 7, 10 (October 19, 1970); as amended by §602(e) of the District of Columbia Traffic Adjudication Act of 1978, D.C. Law 2-104, 25 DCR 1275, 1375 (August11, 1978); by §3 of the Traffic Act Amendments Act of 1981, D.C. Law 4-36, 28 DCR 3383, 3384 (July 31, 1981); by §5 of the Safe Streets Anti-Prostitution Amendment Act of 1996, D.C. Law 11-130,43 DCR 1570, 1571 (March 29, 1996); and by §2 of the Collateral Reform Temporary Amendment Act of 1996, D.C. Act 11-506, 44 DCR 1223 (March 7, 1997); as amended by D.C. Act 12-257 published at 45 DCR 1226(March 6, 1998).