PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 3, 2025
CONTACT: Marta Lindsey, Communications Director, Walk SF, marta@walksf.org, 617.833.7654
San Francisco’s speed cameras show dramatic reductions in dangerous speeding
Data shows program is working to significantly change driver behavior, and also how fast some drivers are going
San Francisco, Calif. – New data and findings are now out from San Francisco’s speed camera program, the first in California.
Data from the SFMTA shows that speed cameras are already proving effective at changing driver behavior and making streets safer. Speeding has decreased by 72% on average across 15 speed camera locations that the SFMTA did before-and-after speed surveys. From June through August, violations have continued to drop, as well as the average speed for an issued violation. Two-thirds of vehicles that received a warning or citation have not received a second.
Speeding is the #1 cause of severe and fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco.
“Speed cameras are doing exactly what we hoped they would: change driver behavior,” said Marta Lindsey, communications director for Walk San Francisco. “We know that when drivers slow down, lives will be saved.”
Jenny Yu, a founding member of San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets, advocated for years with other victims for San Francisco to have legal authority to use speed cameras. Yu’s mother was hit by a speeding driver while crossing Park Presidio in the Richmond neighborhood.
“I know all too well what dangerous speeding can result in,” said Yu. Yu’s mother Judy suffered severe traumatic brain injuries when she was hit, among other injuries, and has required 24-hour-care since her crash. Judy has significant cognitive impairment, frequent headaches, and suicidal tendencies.
“We fought so hard for speed cameras because we don’t want others to go through what we have,” said Yu. “Speed cameras remind drivers of the most important way to prevent a crash and protect human life: slow down.”
Citation data also shows that far too many drivers are going far above the speed limit. An analysis in the San Francisco Chronicle showed that about half of the drivers whose vehicles were cited were going between 16 and 20 miles an hour over the speed limit.
“This data reflects what we are feeling: that dangerous speeding is out of control on our streets, and a daily threat to our safety,” said Lindsey.
“We need the City to use every possible solution to address dangerous speeding,” said Lindsey. “We’re grateful that speed cameras are now on our streets, adding a powerful new solution for making San Francisco safer.”
“With vehicles bigger, heavier, and more powerful than ever, speed cameras are needed more than ever,” said Lindsey. “And we will need more of them in a city with more than a thousand miles of streets.”
San Francisco is leading California in terms of implementing speed cameras after the passage of AB 645 in 2023. The other five cities allowed to pilot speed cameras (Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, and Long Beach) have yet to launch programs.
“We hope these cities see the success happening here in San Francisco, and move faster to implement their own programs,” said Lindsey.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently unanimously passed the Street Safety Act, which includes commitments related to addressing speeding in several ways including:
- Reforming the Residential Traffic Calming Program so it takes a proactive, neighborhood-scale approach to adding speed humps, tables, and more to bring down speeds on smaller streets.
- Continue harnessing the ‘Quick Build’ program to better protect pedestrians in crosswalks, expand the Bike & Roll network, and design streets that keep drivers going at safe speeds.
- Requiring the SFPD to develop a traffic enforcement plan that complements the speed camera program.
BACKGROUND:
The threat of dangerous speeding is significant – and growing.
The faster a driver is going, the more likely a crash is to occur and the more serious the consequences. A driver has a smaller scope of vision, less time to react, and can’t stop the vehicle as quickly. And the human body can’t withstand the additional force as speeds rise.
For every mile faster a driver goes, the threat rises quickly. 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. This likely underestimates risk because the studies this is based on do not take into account how much larger and heavier vehicles are today. The average American passenger vehicle is now 8 inches taller and 1,000 pounds heavier than it was three decades ago. SUVs and trucks are now the dominant type of vehicle, making up almost 75% of the market share.
It’s not just that vehicles are bigger and heavier, making crashes even deadlier for those outside the vehicle.
It’s also easier than ever for drivers to dangerously accelerate, and too often, they do. The automobile industry continues to design vehicles that are dramatically faster than in previous generations. The average American vehicle from model year 2021 could reach 60 mph in 7.7 seconds. This is about twice as fast as cars purchased in the early 1980s. Electric vehicles are even faster than the average American vehicle, with many reaching 60 MPH in only a few seconds.
Dangerous speeding is the #1 cause of severe and fatal traffic crashes in San Francisco and statewide.
In 2024, 42 people were killed in traffic crashes in San Francisco, the highest number since 2007. More than 500 were severely injured in traffic crashes. Dangerous speeding is the leading cause of these crashes.
Speed cameras are a proven solution to change driver behavior and save lives.
Speed cameras dramatically shift behavior and can reduce the number of severe and fatal crashes by as much as 58%. In New York City, the speed camera program has resulted in a 94 percent reduction in speeding at speed camera locations and attributed with significant decreases in pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
San Francisco is the first city in California to launch speed cameras on its streets.
With the launch of San Francisco’s speed camera program, California joined 21 states in allowing the use of speed cameras to enforce one of the deadliest driver behaviors. San Francisco is the first city in California to launch its speed camera program.
The speed camera program is designed to change behavior, with fines starting at just $50 and has important equity and privacy provisions.
Assembly Bill 645, signed into law on October 13, 2023, allows San Francisco (plus Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, and Long Beach) to pilot the use of speed cameras.
AB 645 was a thoughtfully-written bill with strong privacy protections and equity considerations. AB 645 doesn’t allow any facial recognition with the cameras. Only the rear license plate of a speeding vehicle will be captured as part of the program. The data will be stored for SFMTA use only and will not be shared with any other agency, unless court ordered to do so.
Speed camera violations have no criminal penalties and don’t add points against a driver’s license at the state Department of Motor Vehicles. San Francisco will reduce fines for those under the poverty line by 80% or offer community service, and reduce fines by 50% for individuals 200% above the poverty level. Learn more about San Francisco’s speed camera program.
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Walk San Francisco (‘Walk SF’) advocates for safe streets for everyone who walks. Since our founding in 1998, Walk SF has been leading the way to make San Francisco a pedestrian-first city where people of every age and ability can walk safely. Learn more.
San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets is a group of people who have been directly affected by traffic crashes, including crash survivors and people whose loved ones have been killed or injured in traffic crashes. Learn more.