PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 4, 2025
CONTACT: Marta Lindsey, Communications Director, Walk San Francisco, (617) 833-7654 (cell), marta@walksf.org
San Francisco’s speed cameras will start citations tomorrow
Crash victims and loved ones will go to where Andrew Zieman was killed in 2021 by a speeding driver; there’s now a speed camera at the location
WHEN: Tuesday, August 5, 8:00 – 9:00AM with short remarks at 8:30AM.
WHERE: The intersection of Franklin & Union Streets in the Cow Hollow neighborhood.
This is the location of where 30-year-old Andrew Zieman, a beloved paraeducator at Sherman Elementary School, was hit and killed by a speeding driver on November 10, 2021.
A speed camera is now located on Franklin Street between Union and Green, one of 33 locations in the city now with speed cameras.
WHAT: Family members of Andrew Zieman, members of the victim group San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets, Walk SF members, and North Beach neighbors will be at the corner where Andrew Zieman’s fatal crash occurred.
They will hold up large photos of people killed and injured by speeding drivers including Andrew, as well as signs saying “THIS IS WHY TO SLOW DOWN.”
This action coincides with when citations begin for San Francisco’s speed camera program. Citations will only be issued to drivers going more than 10 MPH over the speed limit. The 60-day warning period, during which speeding drivers received mailed warnings, will have just ended.
Franklin Street is currently designed as a three-lane, one-way street where too many drivers far exceed the posted speed limit of 25 MPH. Franklin Street runs directly next to Sherman Elementary School.
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS:
- Richard Zieman, Families for Safe Streets member and father of Andrew Zieman. Andrew Zieman, was a beloved paraeducator at Sherman Elementary School. On November 10, 2021, Andrew was on his way to work when he was hit and killed by a speeding driver on Franklin Street in the school zone.
- Jenny Yu, Families for Safe Streets member and daughter of Judy Yu. Jenny’s mother Judy was hit and severely injured by a speeding driver while crossing Park Presidio Boulevard on February 22, 2011. Judy suffered a ruptured spleen, collapsed lung, multiple fractures, and a severe traumatic brain injury. Judy lives today with significant cognitive impairment, PTSD, and suicidal tendencies.
- Marta Lindsey, communications director of Walk San Francisco.
VISUALS:
- Members of San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets in yellow scarves holding large photos of loved ones hit or killed by speeding drivers and signs reading “THIS IS WHY TO SLOW DOWN.”
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.
Data from the SFMTA shows how pervasive dangerous speeding is. The speed camera program issued 99,730 warning tickets in May across 30 active camera locations.
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.
The City’s speed camera program is already working to change behavior. According to SFMTA data:
- 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%.
- Fulton Street saw a 63% decrease in speeding events over 13 weeks between Arguello Boulevard and Second Avenue
- Geneva Avenue saw a 45% decrease over eight weeks between Prague Street and Brookdale Avenue
- Bayshore Boulevard saw a 40% decrease over seven weeks between the U.S. 101 off-ramp and Tunnel Avenue
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. San Jose and Oakland are still in the planning phase and hope to launch their speed cameras by the end of 2025.
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.
‘Street Safety Act’ would bring bold approach for the City to traffic safety.
Last week, District Supervisor Myrna Melgar introduced a bold new resolution called the Street Safety Act to build on solutions like speed cameras to address traffic safety at the pace and scale needed.
Supervisor Melgar’s resolution reaffirms San Francisco’s prior Vision Zero commitment to end severe and fatal traffic crashes – and has a suite of targeted actions for key agencies to design and enforce streets for safety. Learn more about the Street Safety Act.
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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.