From 2005 to 2014, 112,580 Americans were killed in traffic collisions in which speeding was a factor, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Pedestrian deaths have increased 77% from 2010 to 2021 in the U.S., according to a Governors Highway Safety Association study.
“Years of national research, the laws of physics, and common sense all point to an established fact about street safety: the faster people drive, the more dangerous and deadly our roads become,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a statement. “Speed is the number one factor in crash severity.” Under AB 645, L.A. can install 125 speed cameras whose cost is yet unknown. Money from citations would be used to pay for the speed cameras, and any leftover funds would be put into traffic calming measures, not into a city’s general fund.