6 million D.C. traffic tickets went unpaid. Here's how it happened.

About 6.2 million traffic tickets totaling nearly $1.3 billion in fines and penalties have not been paid to the District since 2000, The Washington Post found in a recent analysis of city records. That includes hundreds of thousands of dollars owed by motorists who have been repeatedly caught violating traffic rules.

The data from the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles highlights the challenges facing the city in enforcing traffic regulations and holding drivers to account. For example, The Post found a car with Maryland tags that has 339 outstanding tickets worth $186,000 in fines and penalties.

Here’s why so many people can get away without paying the fines.

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