Antwon Temoney has been working at D.C.’s car impound lots for over two decades. Initially, the city had just one lot, but now there are three impound lots in operation. The newest impound lot, visited by News4, opened recently and houses cars with the highest amount of unpaid fines, some reaching thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.
According to Temoney, drivers have 28 days to claim their vehicles from the impound lots. If they fail to do so, the cars are either auctioned off or scrapped. The total amount of unpaid fines in D.C. is over $1 billion, primarily from out-of-state drivers.
A pilot program was launched earlier this year to impound cars with the most unpaid fines using additional tow trucks and automated license plate readers. In the five-and-a-half months of the pilot program focused on Ward 1:
– Nearly 300 cars with over $2 million in unpaid fines were impounded
– More than 2,000 vehicles with almost $6 million in unpaid tickets were booted
The program has now expanded citywide, with increased enforcement efforts in all eight wards. In addition to cars, illegal scooters are also ending up in impound lots.
Despite impounding vehicles, D.C. officials do not expect to collect on all the fines, as some drivers owe more than their cars are worth. News4 discovered that some cars held at the impound lots have outstanding fines exceeding $19,000.
It is essential for drivers with unpaid tickets in D.C. to heed Temoney’s advice: “Just pay your fines. That’s it. Just pay your fines.” This simple act can prevent your vehicle from being impounded and incurring additional costs.