Instances of speeding are down significantly in areas where the SFMTA’s automated speed enforcement cameras are active.
The SFMTA’s Speed Safety Camera Program has been running in San Francisco for a full year, and data shows that speeding has dropped significantly in areas where cameras are active.
A comparison of speeding data collected at camera locations before and after the program began shows:
- A nearly 80% drop in the share of drivers traveling 10 mph or more above the posted speed limit
- Roughly 40,000 fewer cases of speeding every day across camera locations
When fewer drivers speed, our streets are safer for everyone.
Slower streets are safer streets
The most important takeaway from the first year of our Speed Safety Camera Program is that it is helping to change driver behavior. Our most recent data shows:
- Only 2% of all drivers are exceeding the posted speed limit by 10 mph or more in areas where speed cameras are present. Before cameras were installed, that number was 11% on average.
- About two-thirds of drivers (65%) who have received a warning or citation did not get another one.
- And 82% of drivers observed speeding by our cameras have received two or fewer notices.
This program has always been about making the streets of San Francisco safer by getting people to slow down.
If a person walking is hit by a car travelling 40 mph, their chances of surviving that collision are just 20%. However, if a person hit by a car travelling 20 mph, their chances of surviving the collision rise to 90%.
At most locations where automated speed enforcement cameras have been installed, the number of drivers observed driving 10 mph or more over the speed limit has dropped significantly since last year.
How we measure speeding trends
Our automated speed enforcement cameras collect speeding data. We also conduct quarterly speed surveys using pneumatic tubes placed on the road.
We use these tube studies to set a baseline from before cameras were installed and make comparisons to that original data.
Comparing data from the most recent quarterly survey with tube studies from before the program was started, we can see something powerful. There’s a clear shift in driver behavior at locations where automated speed enforcement cameras were installed.
In the first six months of the program, we saw speeding drop by 72% on average across 15 key locations in the Speed Safety Camera network.
Since the fall of 2025, changes in speeding have been less pronounced. However, the total number of incidents of speeding measured at camera locations has continued to decline.
Our most recent tube survey data shows a 79% decrease in the share of vehicles travelling 10 mph or more over the posted speed limit compared to levels before the program began.
Although we have observed an overall reduction in total speeding across all Speed Safety Camera locations, we have seen a recent increase in the number of warnings and citations issued by the SFMTA. We saw this increase between the last quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.
The number of violations issued can be influenced by many factors. They can include seasonal traffic patterns, big events, construction and improvements to camera technology.
Refining our cameras
San Francisco’s automated speed enforcement network may have been the first of its kind anywhere. To our knowledge, we were the first major city to launch a system that uses still photos to enforce speeding.
As we have confirmed the reliability of our cameras, we have worked with our vendor to improve the system. As a result of these improvements, our cameras are now identifying a greater share of drivers speeding on the streets of San Francisco.
The improved capabilities of our cameras are part of the reason that citations increased over the last quarter.
The daily number of vehicles observed speeding at automated speed enforcement cameras has dropped significantly since the Speed Safety Camera Program was launched last year.
Pioneering the system
San Francisco was the first city in California to create a speed safety camera program under AB 645, which passed in 2023. Seven cities in the state have been authorized to operate automated speed enforcement pilot programs.
In early 2026, Oakland became the second city in California to launch an automated speed enforcement network. San Jose, Los Angeles and several additional Southern California cities are still developing their pilot programs.
As the first city in the state to implement a program like this, we have pioneered best practices related to program setup, staffing, location selection, community outreach and public notification.
We will be sharing what we’ve learned in the past year with other cities building speed safety camera programs.
What’s next
Our speed cameras have an important role to play in Mayor Daniel Lurie’s citywide Street Safety Initiative.
Over the next six months, the SFMTA will continue to track data from our Speed Safety Camera Program. And, in the second half of 2026, we will submit an 18-month evaluation to the state. This report could lead to changes in the program, such as relocating certain cameras in the network.
Under AB 645, our program was limited to 33 locations. Relocating some of these cameras based on current data would help make sure cameras are placed where they can improve safety the most.
By law, the SFMTA may only use Speed Safety Camera Program fines for two things: covering program costs and funding street safety projects.
The anticipated total cost of this five-year pilot program is $7.4 million. This covers permitting, installation, operations and maintenance.
Any money that remains after these costs are covered will be used to fund projects aimed at making streets safer. They could bring rapid flashing beacons, protected bike lanes and other investments in pedestrian safety along the High Injury Network.
To learn more about our automated speed enforcement in San Francisco and sign up for email updates, visit the Speed Safety Camera Program’s website.