Speeders beware: Legislation would allow automation crackdown … – SFGate

By Michael Cabanatuan, San Francisco Chronicle

Photo: Tony Dejak, Associated Press

New legislationwould allow San Francisco and San Jose to install cameras that detect when someone is speeding and ensure that a ticket is issued.

New legislationwould allow San Francisco and San Jose to install cameras that detect when someone is speeding and ensure that a ticket is issued.

In addition to hours spent in traffic, NerdWallet considered days of precipitation, gas prices, insurance premiums, parking available and likelihood of getting into an accident.

The study indicates San Francisco is pretty hard on drivers. Check out where it lands among the top 10 and why. less

In addition to hours spent in traffic, NerdWallet considered days of precipitation, gas prices, insurance premiums, parking available ... more

New Yorkers spend $1,614.71 per year on car insurance - $500 more than the national average. They also spend 59 hours a year in traffic delays. However, the city's extensive rail system, bike sharing and other amenities help take the pressure off the already-jammed roads. less

New Yorkers spend $1,614.71 per year on car insurance - $500 more than the national average. They also spend 59 hours a year in traffic delays. However, the city's extensive rail system, bike ... more

Detroit has the least parking availability and highest car insurance prices in America, with .49 parking lots or garages per 1,000 commuters and an egregious $4,924.99 insurance premium - that's 3 1/2 times more than the average American's insurance costs. NerdWallet credits Detroit's high car theft rate as part of the reason for the expensive insurance. less

Detroit has the least parking availability and highest car insurance prices in America, with .49 parking lots or garages per 1,000 commuters and an egregious $4,924.99 insurance premium - ... more

NerdWallet blames Seattle's bad traffic on the weather. But they back it up with stats: In 2012, Seattle saw 150 days of rain, which causes hazardous road conditions and poor visibility. That's 40 more rainy days than the national average. We also spend 48 hours per year stuck in traffic, which is 46 percent more than the national average.

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NerdWallet blames Seattle's bad traffic on the weather. But they back it up with stats: In 2012, Seattle saw 150 days of rain, which causes hazardous road conditions and poor visibility. That's 40 ... more

Here, drivers are 61.2 percent more likely to get into a traffic crash than the average American driver and the gas prices are 16 cents more per gallon than the national average.

Here, drivers are 61.2 percent more likely to get into a traffic crash than the average American driver and the gas prices are 16 cents more per gallon than the national average.

Chicago sees the most regularly torrential weather of the cities in the top 10 and its gas prices are the highest of the 25 worst cities for drivers with $4.16 per gallon.

Chicago sees the most regularly torrential weather of the cities in the top 10 and its gas prices are the highest of the 25 worst cities for drivers with $4.16 per gallon.

Miami drivers pay $1,750.10 per year in car insurance, which is 59 percent higher than the national average. There are also only .77 parking garages or lots per 1,000 commuters.

Miami drivers pay $1,750.10 per year in car insurance, which is 59 percent higher than the national average. There are also only .77 parking garages or lots per 1,000 commuters.

Los Angeles drivers suffer 61 hours of delays each year and 55.1 percent of the population travels during peak hours. Drivers also pay an average $4.01 per gallon for gas.

Los Angeles drivers suffer 61 hours of delays each year and 55.1 percent of the population travels during peak hours. Drivers also pay an average $4.01 per gallon for gas.

But, hey, at least they're not in Washington, D.C., where drivers spend 67 hours per year stuck in traffic - the most in the United States. Drivers in the nation's capital are also 97.3 percent more likely to get into a crash than the average driver. less

But, hey, at least they're not in Washington, D.C., where drivers spend 67 hours per year stuck in traffic - the most in the United States. Drivers in the nation's capital are also 97.3 ... more

But that isn't as bad as Boston, where drivers are 129.9 percent more likely than the average driver to wreck the car. Drivers here spend 53 hours per year in traffic. Good thing one-third of commuters use public transportation, but apparently that's not enough. less

But that isn't as bad as Boston, where drivers are 129.9 percent more likely than the average driver to wreck the car. Drivers here spend 53 hours per year in traffic. Good thing one-third of commuters ... more

Speeders beware: Legislation would allow automation crackdown

Aiming to get drivers to hit the brakes, San Francisco Assemblyman David Chiu introduced legislation Wednesday that would allow San Francisco and San Jose to install cameras that detect when someone is speeding and ensure that a ticket is issued.

Chiu made the announcement at a news conference in the lobby of San Francisco General Hospital, where five victims of car collisions are treated daily.

Speeding is the leading cause of pedestrian fatalities in the two cities, supporters said, and slowing traffic saves lives. While cameras at controlled intersections that detect red-light runners are legal in California, cameras that nab speeders are not.

If San Francisco had automated speed enforcement, the driver might not have been going so fast and my mother might not have been so seriously injured, said Jenny Yu, whose mother, Judy Szeto Yuen Man Yu, was struck by a car in the Richmond District. She suffered broken bones as well as brain damage that left her with multiple personalities and in need of constant care.

This crash took away moms ability to live a normal life. said Jenny Yu, who attended Chius news conference.

Also attending were other families of people killed or severely injured when they were hit by cars, Mayors Ed Lee of San Francisco and Sam Liccardo of San Jose, and transportation and health officials along with San Francisco Police Chief William Scott.

The legislation calls for a five-year trial. It would authorize the use of automated devices that measure speeds and trigger cameras that capture images of speeding cars and their license plates. Owners of cars found exceeding the speed limit by at least 10 miles per hour would then be mailed citations of no more than $100, including court fees.

Cameras would be placed on posts along some of the cities deadliest streets, focusing on areas where speeding is common. In San Francisco, those streets include stretches of Market Street and Geary Boulevard, said Paul Rose, a spokesman for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

Traffic signs would be put in place warning drivers that speed cameras lurk ahead, and for the first 30 days after cameras are installed, drivers would be mailed warning tickets that do not include a fine.

Scott said the speed cameras are not an attempt to raise money, a complaint critics are sure to voice.

Lets be clear: Our goal is to save lives not write tickets, the police chief said.

But what will drivers think? Those interviewed at a South of Market gas station had a variety of thoughts.

Eeeeeew. I dont think thats good, said Jermaine Scott, 38, a San Francisco delivery driver who lives in Richmond. Thats real sneaky. But it could save lots of lives around here. This place has become a danger zone for pedestrians.

Proponents say automated speed enforcement has slowed drivers and deaths from traffic collisions by impressive amounts: a 53 percent reduction in deaths in Portland, Ore., a 31 percent decline in speeding in Chicago, and a 13.4 percent decrease in injury accidents near cameras in New York.

Some motorists, however, worried that cameras wont give drivers the benefit of the doubt and wont understand that they might have accelerated to avoid an erratic driver or a double-parked truck, or in advance of a hill.

Speed enforcement is a human job, Taj Turner, 36, a San Francisco salesman who lives in Oakland, said. I think its a horrible idea, especially in a city where a lot of people dont drive. Theyd be hurting Uber and Lyft and taxis, people who are just trying to make a living.

The legislation is sure to face opposition in Sacramento. Past efforts have stalled in the Legislature after criticism from the American Automobile Association and the trucking industry. Chiu said he hopes to persuade those groups to at least stay neutral.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com

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Speeders beware: Legislation would allow automation crackdown ... - SFGate