Since speed cameras were first installed in San Francisco last February, an average of 40,000 speeding cars have been taken off the road each day.
The survival odds between a 20mph car crash and a 40mph car crash are unnervingly stark. A pedestrian or cyclist struck by a vehicle traveling at school zone speeds has about a 90% chance of surviving that crash, with the odds of walking away without major injuries at about a coin toss. But doubling that speed sends those favorable odds on a perpetual nose dive; pedestrians and cyclists involved in car crashes at those speeds have just a 20% of surviving, and, if they do, it’s almost certain they’ll suffer life-altering major injuries as a result of their flesh meeting metal.
San Francisco’s pedestrian deaths exist well within the understood correlations between traffic speed and fatality rates. However, 2025 saw a year-over-year 42% decrease in pedestrian deaths; most who did die in traffic-related deaths did so inside SF’s network of high-risk corridors, where speeding is prolific, and pedestrian density is elevated.
Reducing speed limits is a tried-and-true way to thwart pedestrian deaths and injuries. Speed cameras, while a more novel approach, are proving helpful in curbing dangerous speeding incidents.
Preliminary data released from SFMTA this week shows that speed cameras are already proving effective at changing driver behavior and making streets safer. Between this most current release and the previous data log published in October, month-to-month speeding violations are going down — and equally as important, the average speed of each issued violation has also continued decreasing. As of pushing, there are nearly a third fewer drivers going 21+ mph over the listed speed limits where these cameras are deployed.
“The data on speed cameras continues to trend in the right direction. Speeding is down, and drivers are changing their behavior,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director for Walk San Francisco, in a press release about SFMTA’s findings. “The goal of the technology is to save lives.”
SFMTA has found a 78% decline in speeding vehicles in areas where these cameras are installed; there are 56 speed cameras installed in 33 locations across San Francisco, with both figures expected to increase this year; collectively, it’s estimated that SF’s speed cameras are responsible for 40,000 fewer speeding cars each day.
“When speeds come down, the risk of severe or fatal crashes comes down as well,” said SFMTA Director of Streets Viktoriya Wise in the same aforementioned press release. “These early results confirm the cameras are doing exactly what they’re designed to do: encourage safer driving speeds. Protecting our most vulnerable road users is the goal, and we will continue prioritizing proven safety tools, including speed cameras, as part of the Mayor’s citywide Street Safety Initiative.”
Locations where speed studies have been conducted since the cameras were installed. This is equivalent to approximately 40,000 fewer cars per day speeding in San Francisco, thanks to these speed cameras.
“We are encouraging other cities to launch their programs,” Medeiros concludes in the same press release. “The success of San Francisco’s program should be motivation for these cities to get their program up and running to reduce speeds and save lives.”
Feature image: Courtesy of SFMTA via Jeremy Menzies Photographer
