If you’ve ever ridden a bike and had a driver purposely swerve towards you (or outright try and run you down), there are few legal remedies, despite the potential danger you could face. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association wants that to change.

Following in the footsteps of car-obsessed Los Angeles, WABA is pushing for legislation in the District that would provide a civil right of action for a cyclist that is assaulted, harassed or intimated by a driver. It would also provide for attorneys fees if the cyclist were to prevail, thus encouraging lawyers to take on these cases. In short, according to attorney Bob Mionske, who specializes in cyclists’ rights, “if you are the victim of harassment, you don’t have to plead with the police or the district attorney to do something about it. You can bring your harasser to justice yourself.”

In July, WABA Executive Director Shane Farthing first tackled the issue, writing on WABA’s blog:

Given the obvious physical differences between automobiles and bicycles, there is ample opportunity for bullying in the form of harassment, assault, and battery. That opportunity should be curtailed by consequences for roadway bullies, but to date the imposition of consequences has been rare.

The proposed legislation largely mirrors the City of Angels’, the first city in the country to pass such a law earlier this summer after two years of debate. Should the law pass, those consequences could be costly — up to three times the amount of any actual damages.

But like all things cycling, there’s bound to some tension and some debate when this hits the D.C. Council. (There certainly was in L.A.) John Townsend, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said it won’t likely come from the region’s vehicle lobby, though. “[Cyclists are] a burgeoning part of our commuting population, and they have the full rights and access on our roadways. They should be free from harassment,” he told DCist. “None of us like being harassed, no matter what mode of transportation.”