Modernize Insurance Minimums in DC: Crash Victims Deserve Better

Posted on by DC Families for Safe Streets Posted in Advocacy, News

First introduced in 2024 by Chairman Phil Mendelson, the Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Act (Bill 26-0057, the Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Act of 2025) is a critical step toward ensuring that D.C. residents receive the fair and adequate financial protection they deserve if they are the victim of a crash.

The facts:

  • DC’s current insurance minimum of $25,000 was set in 1986.
  • Adjusted for inflation, that’s only $7,100 today. 
  • The annual economic cost of crashes in just DC on an annual basis is $830 million (medical expenses, lost income, expense to the city for first responders, etc.).
  • Only 54% of that is paid by insurance companies and victims are left paying $191 million every year. 
  • Analysis of industry data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners shows raising minimums does not automatically increase premiums.
  • In the examples of states that have raised minimums the annual percentage increase of premiums was less than that of the national average. 

The current system places a disproportionate burden on victims. On top of their trauma, victims are also often dealing with expensive medical bills – if they are lucky enough to survive. 

This is a massive policy failure, and one that can be addressed by bringing Bill 26-0057 to a full Council vote with the urgency that victims deserve.

Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (At-Large) held a Committee hearing in December 2024 on this bill. DC-FSS members Jessica Hart and Sam Trumbull both testified about the impact and cost of traffic violence on victims and family members. We again call on Councilmember McDuffie to bring this bill to a full vote.

Read: DC’s outdated insurance laws are failing victims — and Councilmember McDuffie’s committee could fix it by Sam Trumbull, member of DC Families for Safe Streets

Read: One Year Later, Crash Victims Still Wait for Common-Sense Reform by Joe Musso, president of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C.

What can you do?

The time to act is NOW. This bill has already lingered for a year. We call on Councilmember McDuffie to do the right thing and move forward TODAY.

Call or email Councilmember McDuffie and tell him that this bill matters to you. The DC Trial Lawyers Association offers some helpful scripts. Let us know what you do by cc’ing DCFamiliesForSafeStreets [at] gmail.com and signing up here. 

Sign the petition to raise DC’s minimum motor-vehicle insurance coverage from levels set nearly 40 years ago.

DC Families for Safe Streets is proud to partner with the following organizations on this critical issue for victims:

Institute for Safer Trucking

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)

Trial Lawyers Association

Truck Safety Coalition

Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA)

Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC)

Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC)