18 months in, San Francisco’s speed camera pilot proves effective at changing driver behavior
We knew speed cameras would be effective in San Francisco. That’s why Walk SF and crash victims worked for eight years to pass state legislation allowing speed cameras to be piloted here.
But 18 months into San Francisco’s speed camera pilot program, the results just keep getting better.
At six months into the program, the share of drivers speeding 10 MPH or more at speed camera locations was down by 72%. One year in, this had increased to almost 80%.
Now after 18 months, the share of drivers speeding 10 MPH or more is down 84% across camera locations. And the data continues to show that about two-thirds of vehicle owners who received a warning or citation did not get another one, showing that drivers are learning to slow down. Read the just-released 18-month speed camera report from the SFMTA.
Driver behavior has changed dramatically at speed camera locations, addressing the #1 cause of severe and fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco.
There’s more good news. An independent analysis of the speed camera program by UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center found:
- Traffic conditions near cameras have improved by creating consistent, predictable driving behavior.
- Drivers are slowing down beyond only at the camera location.
Now imagine there were more speed cameras than at just 33 locations – and what this would mean for saving lives, calming traffic, and making our streets and city more livable.
That’s why new state legislation is needed so San Francisco can expand the number of speed cameras allowed here, make the pilot permanent, plus allow additional California cities access to this powerful solution.
With vehicles today being bigger and heavier, plus able to accelerate so quickly, the need for speed cameras is even greater than when Walk SF and crash victims started this journey a decade ago. Dangerous speeding is rampant – the speed camera data itself has shown this.
Last year, the Street Safety Initiative signed by Mayor Daniel Lurie and the Street Safety Act passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors included commitments to expand automated safety technology. On July 14, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10 to 1 to pass District 6 Supervisor Dorsey’s resolution in support of expanding the City’s speed camera program.
Now they must act on these commitments.
When it comes to making streets safer, nothing is more important than speed. Walk SF continues to push the City to do everything it can to both design and enforce streets to keep drivers at safe speeds. That’s why we launched the Slow Our Streets campaign in 2020 with the support of our members.
If you support speed cameras and Walk SF’s work to pass state legislation allowing more of them in San Francisco, please support Walk SF today!
