The first speed camera data is here and it’s disturbing.
Data shows many speeding drivers are going 15MPH+ above the speed limit
This afternoon at the SFMTA Board meeting, SFMTA staff shared the first month of data collected by San Francisco’s new speed camera program – the first in California. The data from April 1 to 30 is now available to the public at DataSF.
The data offers a detailed look at driver behavior when it comes to speeding in San Francisco. It reflects what many of us have been feeling intensely: that dangerous speeding is out of control on our streets, and is a daily threat to our safety.
At one speed camera location, Fulton (Arguello to 2nd Avenue), almost a quarter of speeding drivers (which speed cameras consider someone going more than 10 MPH above the limit) are going more than 15 MPH above the speed limit. That location is right next to Golden Gate Park and where thousands of people cross daily to get to school, the bus, and the park.
At another speed camera location, Geary (Webster to Buchanan), a driver was recorded going 65 MPH in a 30 MPH zone. In April, 4% of all warnings went to drivers going 21 MPH or more over the posted speed limit. Those 4% are deeply troubling in terms of the safety threat they represent.
More than 31,000 warnings were issued in April to drivers going more than 10 MPH above the speed limit. This data is partial, as it’s from only some camera locations. Of the 33 speed camera locations, 12 are still not yet operational and some came online in mid-April. Today, the SFMTA stated that all cameras will be running in early June with the 60-day warning period starting for all locations at the same time. This means citations will begin to be issued by September 1.
We are getting a crucial window into how prevalent dangerous speeding really is. We couldn’t be more eager for all speed cameras to start doing their job changing behavior and saving lives. Unfortunately, citations have not yet started for any of the speed cameras (the program initially launched in March).
But this is about more than just speed cameras.
Speeding is the biggest threat to our safety on San Francisco’s streets
For years, speeding has been the #1 cause of severe and fatal crashes in San Francisco.
And it makes sense: the faster a driver is going, the more likely a crash is to occur and the more serious the consequences. Doubling a car’s speed quadruples its kinetic energy, making the stakes increasingly high above 25 MPH.
By 40 MPH, about 75% of pedestrians will suffer a life-threatening injury or die if hit, and this underestimates risk because vehicles are growing larger and heavier. Read more about why speed matters so much.
What this means is that if drivers slowed down, we would immediately see fewer crashes and tragedies.
But it’s a matter of designing and enforcing all streets to keep drivers at safe speeds. Speed cameras are a crucial part of this, but we need the City to apply every possible solution to slow our streets. ASAP.
City must put speed front-and-center in Vision Zero policy and plan
Right now, the City’s Vision Zero policy is expired, and it has no current interagency traffic safety plan.
This is unacceptable given that 2024 had the most traffic deaths in a decade. We need decisive actions to make streets safe, especially given the crisis in dangerous speeding.
That’s why Walk SF delivered a letter to Mayor Daniel Lurie yesterday asking for a new policy and plan – with speed-slowing solutions as the focus.
You can echo this letter by emailing Mayor Lurie and City leaders right now.
Learn more about Walk SF’s Slow Our Streets campaign.
