Speed camera citations begin, tackling the #1 cause of severe and fatal traffic crashes

Our city’s speed camera program is now fully operational to do what’s desperately needed: getting drivers to slow down. 

On Tuesday, August 5, after a 60-day warning period, speed cameras began issuing citations to drivers going more than 10 MPH over the speed limit at 33 locations in San Francisco.

Data from the warning period show both the scale of the problem – and also the power of this lifesaving solution. More than 350,000 warnings were issued since cameras began to go online in March. Some locations logged more than 1,700 drivers going 10+ MPH over the limit every day.

But the great news is drivers are already changing their behavior. According to SFMTA data, during the warning period:

• More than 70% of vehicles that were issued a warning have not received a second—suggesting driver behavior is changing.
• Across all camera locations, average daily speeding events dropped over 30% between week one and week seven of camera activation.
• High-volume corridors are seeing the biggest changes, with speeding down between 40% and 63%. 

With speeding so rampant and vehicles increasingly designed to get to high speeds in just a few seconds, this technology is providing a crucial reminder to drivers to go at safe speeds. 

Safe speeds mean fewer crashes and tragedies, and also an all-around better San Francisco. That’s why we’re already looking toward what will be needed to pass more state legislation allowing an expansion of the program.

But that’s also why we’re looking to the City to implement many more street design changes that prevent drivers from going too fast now. This includes fully harnessing solutions like lower speed limits, turn calming, lane reductions on the widest streets, and speed humps.

These solutions are all in the new Street Safety Act authored and introduced by Supervisor Myrna Melgar last week. If passed by the Board of Supervisors and signed by Mayor Lurie in September, it would accelerate designing and enforcing streets where safety is the priority.

Gratitude to the SFMTA and Families for Safe Streets

When speed cameras began to be installed in March, we had a big celebration and got to thank so many people and partners.

With the launch of citations this week, we want to again especially thank the SFMTA for working so quickly to launch the speed camera program – the first in the state. And we also want to thank Mayor Lurie for vocally supporting this new safety technology on our streets. 

Our deepest thanks, as always, goes to the members of San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets. Your stories are how decisionmakers and the public better understand why solutions like speed cameras are urgently needed. 

Media highlights

With the start of citations, our goal was to get media coverage that focused on the “why” of speed cameras: protecting human life. 

Here’s some of the coverage that included stories and facts about the threat of dangerous speeding:

• SF’s speed cameras a good first step, but bittersweet for families of speeding victims – KQED
• Where SF speed cameras are located, how much it will cost you if you’re caught speeding – ABC7 News
• San Francisco speed cameras begin issuing tickets, fines – NBC Bay Area

Walk SF’s Slow Our Streets campaign is all about winning every possible solution to address dangerous speeding in San Francisco.