California cities are taking back control of their highways. In an effort to create safer communities, select pilot cities — Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, San Francisco, Long Beach and Glendale — were granted approval to install speed safety systems to help reduce the number of deaths due to excessive speeding.
Speeding: A perennial problem
For too long, speeding has plagued the safety and peace of mind of California residents. Of all the vehicle accidents that occurred in California in 2022, 45% (25,269) were caused by unsafe speeds, according to data from UC Berkeley. This year, the number has already surpassed last year’s stats, standing at 47% as of October 2023.
While not all speeding accidents end in fatalities, many do. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 12,330 people were killed in vehicular accidents caused by speeding across the U.S.
Taking back control
A promising solution for cities committed to reducing vehicular crashes and injuries in their communities is to install speed safety systems. According to the Federal Highway Administration, speed safety cameras can reduce crashes on urban principal arterials by up to 54% for all crashes and 47% for injury crashes.
The California state government has taken note of this potential solution. As a result, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill for the pilot cities to test speed safety systems, similar to other large-sized cities that use Verra Mobility's speed enforcement technology. This technology utilizes a holistic, front- and back-end solution with a fixed fee — the company only gets paid for the agreed-upon contract — not the continuous profit from violations like some of its competitors.
These systems and the new law also address equality. Automated safety systems focus on driver behavior and the exterior of a vehicle while California’s bill states indigent recipients may perform community service in lieu of paying the penalty.
In a recent article, Jon Baldwin, executive vice president of government solutions at Verra Mobility, suggests cities should partner with advocacy groups to help educate citizens on speeding programs and address concerns and misconceptions.
Prioritizing citizen safety one city at a time
Those concerned with their safety have a right to demand safer highways and speeding solutions.
As pilot cities roll out these traffic solutions, many other California cities want to be next in line to incorporate these programs in their communities. For example, Mayor Steve Uhring hopes Malibu, which has seen an uptick in traffic deaths, will be able to take advantage of the state’s speed camera pilot program.
To learn more about how your city can address speeding, visit VerraMobility.com/California-Speed-Safety-Zone.
