As vehicles, drivers, and traffic rules evolve, so must law enforcement tactics. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, the local council will decide next month to change the rules about why a police officer can stop someone. This is to stop racial profiling. Washington, D.C., will send a text message and a letter to high-risk drivers saying, “Someone in your family is driving dangerously. Changes are being made to highways in the United States. Things have changed, whether it’s the heated public debate about the best way for police to handle traffic stops or the rise in fatal car accidents since the spread. Because of this, the work to improve roads for everyone is moving from Michigan to New York. This month, the Ann Arbor City Council in Michigan passed 9-0 in favour of a new law that would make it harder for police officers to stop people. The council’s idea for a fix is to remove an officer’s ability to pull someone over for minor offences like a broken windshield. Stops for no reason may also have more severe effects than jail. According to this idea, traffic stops don’t hurt everyone the same way. Even though Black people only make up 12% of the population, “more than a quarter of people killed in traffic stops are Black.” Also, the plan says that small violation stops are more likely to happen to people of colour and don’t do much to improve public safety. Lisa Jackson, who started the Independent Police Oversight Commission in Ann Arbor, says, “When you get pulled over, you have to wonder if you did something wrong or are being profiled.” Early in July, a vote will be held on the proposed law. Bloomberg says similar laws have recently been passed in bigger cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Texts from the City that I don’t want The city’s Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., has a clear plan to reduce crashes, deaths, and other traffic violations. In partnership with a local government office called The Lab @ D.C., the city will send text messages and physical mail to drivers who have been fined or broken traffic laws. To get drivers to think about how they drive, the customised notifications will make explicit references to the driver’s vehicle, the violations it has been involved in in the past, and the fact that the car is more likely to get into an accident than others because of its history. According to the Washington Post, one of the letters says, “Someone in your home is driving carelessly.” Because your car has a past of speeding and running red lights, the people who drive and ride in it are very likely to get into an accident. Some of the 100,000 high-risk drivers in the city will get either an SMS or a letter, or both. The driver can choose not to hear the messages after the first one. Next, the DOT and The Lab will monitor the program for a year to see if any types of drivers make clear progress. Sam Quinney, who is in charge of The Lab, says that the goal is to raise understanding of whether someone has agreed to specific notifications.
