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San Francisco’s Speed Cameras Linked to 80% Drop in Dangerous Speeding After First Year

Early data suggests the pilot is changing driver behavior at high-injury sites.

Overview

  • City officials, presenting a one-year review Wednesday, said drivers going 10 mph or more over the limit fell about 80% at camera locations based on independent road‑tube counts.
  • The five-year pilot uses 56 cameras at 33 high-injury spots and has produced more than 550,000 warnings and about 164,000 fines, with 65% of cited owners not getting a second ticket.
  • Under state rules, a first violation for going 11–15 mph over the limit is a warning with no points, and citations are mailed to the registered owner.
  • Results remain uneven as a Bryant Street camera keeps logging more violations and a Geneva Avenue unit appears offline, even as the share of drivers exceeding the limit by 15+ mph declines.
  • Transportation officials report fewer severe crashes where cameras operate, including a 42% drop in vehicle‑pedestrian collisions and a 33% drop in fatal collisions.