Families, Legislators Call for Life–saving Solution
On Wednesday, February 8, members of the San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets joined with California Assemblymember David Chiu, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, San Francisco Supervisor Norman Yee, and leaders from the San Francisco Police Department, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and other city agencies, to introduce the Safe Streets Act of 2017, Assembly Bill 342.
The Safe Streets Act, which is sponsored by Assemblymember Chiu (SF) and co-sponsored by Assemblymember Chu (SJ), Senator Beall (SJ) and Senator Wiener (SF), will allow San Francisco and San Jose to implement a five year pilot automated speed enforcement (ASE) program to slow illegal speeding and save lives.
To put safety first, sign the petition.
The announcement drew a packed crowd of supporters and media, filling the lobby of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, to hear SFBA Families for Safe Streets members Julie Mitchell, Alvin Lester, Jenny Yu, and Elizabeth Chavez urge state and local leaders to adopt safety cameras, a proven, life-saving technology, to prevent other families from enduring the immeasurable loss and pain each of them has suffered as a result of preventable traffic violence.
See the recent coverage from the San Francisco Examiner and KTVU 5.
Julie Mitchell shared the loss of her 21 year-old son Dylan, who was hit and killed while commuting to work on the morning of May 23, 2013, “No parent should have to bury they child. This is why I decided that I would do whatever I possibly could to prevent any other family from having to face this same devastation.” She added, “Since the launch of SFBA Families for Safe Streets, the number one thing that we have committed to as a group, is getting ASE passed.”
Elizabeth Chavez spoke about her five year-old daughter AileenQ. Her youngest child was walking to school with her older sister and an aunt, when a speeding driver struck all three in the crosswalk, killing AileenQ on May 14, 2013. “I’m here today sharing my story, praying that no other family goes through what my family and I have gone through. If we had automated speed enforcement in 2013, my daughter Aileen could have been spared. She would have been in school today like every other child, and I would have been at work.” She declared, “In Aileen’s honor, I am here to fight for ASE that will prevent people from reckless speeding on our streets.”
Safety cameras are currently illegal in the State of California, but they shouldn’t be!
Show your support for the members of the SFBA Families for Safe Streets and give San Francisco and San Jose the ability to save lives.
Safety cameras, are a quick, affordable and effective technology that has already been successfully adopted in more than 140 cities across the U.S.
Cities where safety cameras are in place have reported as much as a 70% decrease in traffic deaths
Speeding violations have been reduced by as much as 64%, showing safety cameras change dangerous behaviors over time (unlike traditional spot enforcement efforts)
To learn more, download the safety camera fact sheet.