One Year After Installation, the Share of Vehicles Speeding Excessively Decreased by 79 Percent on Average across San Francisco Speed Camera Sites.
Road Tube Data from California Automated Speed Enforcement Program Showed Decreases in Speeding at Most Camera Locations.
San Francisco, California, United States
One Year in, Speeding is Down by 79% at Speed Safety Camera Locations
Summary Information
Speeding is a major contributor to severe injuries and fatalities, and automated camera enforcement is increasingly used as a strategy to deter speeding and improve roadway safety. In 2023, the California legislature authorized specific cities to establish speed camera programs. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Speed Safety Camera program launched a five-year pilot program on March 20, 2025, the first in the state, with 33 locations. This analysis evaluated the impact of speed cameras after a full year of implementation.
METHODOLOGY
The automated speed enforcement cameras collect speeding data. SFMTA also conducted speed surveys using pneumatic road tubes to independently measure vehicle speeds at all 33 locations before camera installation, establishing a baseline for driver behavior. Post-installation speed comparison data were collected quarterly, with the most recent data available for February 2026.
FINDINGS
- On average across the camera locations, there was a 79 percent reduction in the share of vehicles speeding excessively, defined as traveling 10 mph or more above the posted speed limit.
- Compared to data before installation, there were about 40,000 fewer instances of speeding every day across camera locations.
- Only 2 percent of drivers are exceeding the posted speed limit by 10 mph or more in areas where speed cameras were present, compared to 11 percent prior to installation.
- About two-thirds of drivers (65 percent) who received a warning or citation did not get another one.
- About 82 percent of drivers observed speeding by the cameras have received two or fewer notices.
It should be noted that, although an overall reduction in speeding was observed across most camera locations, SFMTA data indicated an increase in warnings and citations between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. This increase was attributed to improvements in camera technology to better identify vehicles with violations, and variations in traffic patterns.
