Six California cities can begin installing speed cameras under a five-year pilot program authorized by the governor last week.
On Friday, Gavin Newsom signed AB 645. The bill permits speed cameras in school zones and other high-risk areas in the cities of Glendale, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. Violators would face fines starting at $50.
Traffic safety is an urgent problem in California’s major cities. According to the bill’s author Laura Friedman (D-Burbank), 4,379 Californians — including 1,275 pedestrians or bicyclists — died in traffic accidents in 2021. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for people under 30.
Speed is the biggest factor in motor vehicle accidents, according to Damian Kevitt, founder of the Los Angeles-based road-safety advocacy group Streets Are For Everyone.
The New York Experiment
New York began piloting a school zone speed camera program in 2013. That program was expanded six years later.
“The speed camera program has proven effective and efficient in its goal of reducing both dangerous speeding and its consequences,” according to a 2022 report. “As of December 2021, speeding at fixed camera locations has dropped, on average, 73 percent… When compared to similar roads outside school speed zones, corridors that received cameras after 2019 program expansions showed greater decreases in deaths and serious injuries in 2020.”
Friedman pointed to New York’s success while rallying support for her bill.