Mayor Lurie Delivers Progress on Street Safety Initiative, Announcing 84% Drop in Speeding Due to Automated Speed Safety Cameras

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today announced that San Francisco’s automated speed safety cameras have cut dangerous speeding by 84% at camera locations in the program’s first 18 months, an estimated 42,000 fewer instances each day of drivers going 10 miles per hour or more over the limit. The first city in California to implement an automated speed safety camera program, San Francisco is now helping other cities around the state design and analyze their own programs, with early data from these programs mirroring San Francisco’s progress.  

These results build on Mayor Lurie’s work to make streets safer for all residents and visitors under his Street Safety Initiative. This spring, Mayor Lurie cut the ribbon on the Terry Francois Boulevard Bike and Pedestrian Safety Project and broke ground on the Twin Peaks Promenade Project, followed this summer by the completion of the Mission Street and Geneva Avenue Infrastructure Improvement Project in the Excelsior, three projects bringing improved safety and accessibility to neighborhoods across the city. At the start of the school year, Mayor Lurie announced expanded 15- and 20-mile-per-hour speed limits near schools, increased traffic enforcement, and continued funding for crossing guards. Earlier this month, he celebrated the passage of SB 1167, which gives law enforcement better tools to identify higher-powered electric motorcycles and mopeds that are mislabeled or sold as e-bikes.

“My top priority is public safety, and that includes making our streets safer for everyone who uses them,” said Mayor Lurie. “Through our Street Safety Initiative, we are bringing together departments and making investments in tools like speed safety cameras to make San Francisco safer for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and transit riders. San Franciscans should be able to move through our streets with confidence no matter what mode of transportation they choose, and we’re going to keep building on the progress we’re seeing.”

Lower speeds are one of the most effective ways to reduce both the likelihood and severity of pedestrian injuries. Operated by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), the program has deployed 56 cameras at 33 locations targeting the city’s most dangerous streets, many of which are on the 2024 High Injury Network, the 13% of streets where 74% of serious injuries occur. Cameras were placed where speeding puts people at greatest risk, including near schools, where dangerous speeding has dropped by up to 94% compared with levels before installation.

“Street safety is public safety, and I thank Mayor Daniel Lurie for bringing a citywide approach to this critical issue,” said Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “Automated speed safety cameras have succeeded in changing driver behavior where they have been installed and are making our streets safer. I’m really encouraged by the data we’ve seen just 18 months into the program.”

The early data also suggests the change in driver behavior is lasting. In the past 18 months, 63% of drivers who received a citation did not receive a second, and approximately 80% received two citations or fewer.  

The city’s findings are backed by a preliminary report prepared by the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) at the University of California, Berkeley. The independent study found that speeding dropped significantly at camera sites even before fines began and remained substantially lower 50 weeks after the cameras were activated. According to the report, speeding also declined on comparable streets without cameras, suggesting that the program may be improving driver behavior more broadly.

“Speed is a major factor leading to traffic fatalities and serious injuries, especially among pedestrians and bicyclists. Our research provides rigorous evidence that the San Francisco speed camera pilot has reduced speeding at camera locations compared to similar control locations we identified across the city,” said Julia Griswold, SafeTREC Director. “Our finding that speeding reduced substantially during the warning period suggests that public awareness and warning notices encouraged safer driver behavior—even before fines were introduced.”

Richard Zieman, a member of San Francisco Bay Area Families for Safe Streets, lost his son Andrew Zieman when a speeding driver hit and killed Andrew on the sidewalk in front of Sherman Elementary on Franklin Street on November 10, 2021.

“The driver who killed Andrew was going about 40 miles per hour,” said Richard Zieman. “If a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle going 40 miles per hour, they’re unlikely to survive. That’s why speed cameras are needed: to prevent tragedies like what happened with our son. Speeding kills, and speed cameras save lives. It’s that simple.”  

“Dangerous speeding is the number one cause of severe and fatal crashes in San Francisco, and every solution possible is needed to address this,” said Jodie Medeiros, Walk San Francisco Executive Director. “Speed camera data continues to show how incredibly effective this technology is at changing driver behavior to make everyone safer.”

“As parents, we spend a lot of time thinking about what happens inside our children’s schools, but getting them there safely matters just as much,” said Rebecca Kee, San Francisco Parents Coalition Executive Director. “An 84% drop in dangerous speeding is encouraging news for families across San Francisco. We want to see continued investment in solutions that protect children walking, biking, and traveling to school in every neighborhood.”

Beyond changing driver behavior, the citations also help fund other street safety improvements. More than $2 million in net revenue generated from the program is already supporting pedestrian safety efforts citywide, including through the installation of rapid flashing beacons at pedestrian crosswalks.