SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - Mayor Daniel Lurie launched San Francisco's automated speed camera enforcement program Thursday, making it the first city in California to implement the technology aimed at stopping collisions and saving lives.
Traffic injuries, the top cause of serious injury in U.S. cities, were up in 2024 in San Francisco with 41 fatalities - the highest number since 2007, and a 47% increase from 2023, when 26 people were killed. More people died in traffic crashes in 2024 in San Francisco than homicides.
"No matter how you get around our city, you should be able to do it without fearing for your life," Lurie said. "Speeding is the number one cause of traffic injuries and fatalities in this city. It is my job as mayor to protect our residents and visitors, and that is what we are doing today."
Lurie said the cameras will help a short-staffed San Francisco Police Department enforce speeding laws.
The cameras, which automatically snap photos of a car's rear license plate when a driver is speeding, will operate at 33 locations in the city's "high injury network," the 12% of streets with the highest concentration of severe injuries and fatal collisions.
Once the cameras are activated, there will be a 60-day no-fee warning period, after which drivers who exceed the speed limit by 11 to 15 mph can be hit with $50 citations. Fines can go as high as $500 for people who drive faster than 100 mph on San Francisco's streets.
People with low incomes or on public assistance can qualify for a discounted fine.
The cameras are the result of Assembly Bill 645, which passed in 2023 and allows the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to pilot the technology for five years. Lurie cited data from New York's City's Department of Transportation, which reported a 94% reduction in daily speeding violations at locations where cameras were installed.
Money from the citations will help fund additional traffic safety measures in the city, Lurie said; California law does not allow San Francisco transit authorities to use revenue from the program to address its budget deficit.
San Francisco city attorney David Chiu said more than 1,000 Californians have died in speed-related collisions each year.
"San Francisco cannot wait any longer to use this tool proven to save lives," Chiu said.
Although the camera program will be the first of its kind in the Golden State, 19 states and the District of Columbia allow automated speed cameras, with regulations for their use across jurisdictions.
Lurie this week also introduced a directive aimed at reducing homelessness and drug use in the city and vowed to crack down on illegal street vending and fencing operations.
Source: Courthouse News Service
