Los Angeles is expected begin activating new cameras on streets across the city near the end of the month as part of a state law approved in 2024 aimed to curb speeding and to improve street safety, it was announced Thursday.
L.A. Department of Transportation General Manager Laura Rubio-Cornejo said the first set of cameras will be up in running on Oct. 26 with the goal of having all 125 cameras activated before the end of the year. For each camera, a 60-day warning period will follow from the date of activation, meaning drivers who speed 11 mph or more above the speed limit will receive a written warning only.
After the warning period concludes, a first violation for traveling 11-15 mph above the speed limit will receive a warning while subsequent violations will receive civil speeding violations, starting at $50 and rising as speed increases. A vehicle traveling 16 mph or more over the speed limit will receive a civil speeding violation, starting at $100. The full schedule of fines can be seen at LAspeedsafety.org.
“As we continue our work to create safer streets for all Angelenos, LADOT is committed to tackling the traffic safety crisis with every innovative, data-driven solution available,” Rubio-Cornejo said in a statement. “Speed safety systems have proven to be among the most effective tools we have to reduce dangerous speeding, prevent crashes and save lives.”
She made the announcement Thursday morning at a news conference in Hollywood, where department staff were installing the cameras just outside of Kingsley Elementary School.
“Traffic violence kills more people in Los Angeles than homicides, but far too often, our policies don’t treat reckless driving with the urgency it deserves,” Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez said in a statement. He represents the Hollywood area. “If we can prevent a child from being hit on the way to school, or a family from losing someone on the way home, then we have a responsibility to take action. This is about making our streets safer for everyone who drives, walks or bikes in Los Angeles.”
Councilwoman Heather Hutt, who chairs the council’s Transportation Committee, agreed, saying in a similar statement that speeding endangers everyday Angelenos. She added, “This new tool will slow traffic around our schools, so every family can get where they’re going safely.”
Revenue generated through the program will be reinvested directly into LADOT’s traffic safety efforts across Los Angeles.
Automated Speed Safety Systems are a proven way to reduce dangerous driving. San Francisco has observed a more than 70% decline in speeding following the activation of its speed camera system and cities including New York City have experienced a reduction of 75% in speeding tickets after implementation, according to LADOT.
Earlier this year, the L.A. City Council authorized installation of 125 speed safety systems across all 15 City Council Districts. Locations were carefully selected through analysis of crash history, speeding data and proximity to vulnerable populations, including schools, senior centers, and high injury corridors. Community and stakeholder feedback, including input from City Council offices, informed final location selections to ensure neighborhoods across Los Angeles are represented in the pilot.
The systems capture rear license plates of any vehicle traveling 11 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit. That information is securely transmitted to LADOT’s Parking Enforcement and Traffic Control Division to confirm the violation.
If confirmed, a civil speeding citation is mailed to the registered vehicle owner. Under the state law, the registered vehicle owner information can only be used for processing citations and cannot be shared with local, state or federal law enforcement except when ordered by court-issued subpoena.
In October 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 645, authored by Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Burbank. The law went into effect Jan. 1, 2024.
The bill authorized Los Angeles, Long Beach and Glendale, as well as San Jose, Oakland and the city and county of San Francisco to operate the speed safety system pilot program through Jan. 1, 2032, unless extended by legislation. A final evaluation report is required on or before March 1 of the final year of the pilot.
Safety advocates have criticized the city for not implementing the program sooner. They argued the street safety pilot can make a difference in saving lives and reducing speeding by drivers.
In 2025, 290 people died in traffic incidents in the city, according to the Los Angeles Police Department’s most recent data. There were more traffic-related deaths than homicides last year as well.
Critics have argued that the program will further serve to “criminalize” low-income communities and people of color.
Los Angeles delayed implementation of the program in part due to a community engagement process to develop a use policy, and partly due to the procurement process of the speed cameras themselves. Up to 125 cameras are expected to be installed across the city. Most council districts will receive eight cameras, with districts 4, 6, 8, 9 and 10 getting an additional camera.
“We have a serious problem on our streets with people driving recklessly and endangering the lives of our neighbors, our children and our families,” Friedman said in a statement. “I authored the legislation that made today possible so Los Angeles can test a proven, commonsense tool with privacy built in.”
“These cameras only capture the rear license plate, don’t film the driver, and the photos must be deleted within five days if there’s no violation. This month, the program will go live outside schools, on our most dangerous corridors and on streets plagued by street racing. In Congress, I’ll continue working to keep our communities safe,” Friedman added.
In preparation for the speed safety program, LADOT launched a multilingual public information campaign this summer to ensure Angelenos across the city understood the new program before it took effect. The ongoing campaign includes community events, digital advertising, billboards and physical ads in multilingual papers.
“The safety of every Angeleno is my number-one priority, and along with our state partners we’re investing in a comprehensive approach to street safety that holds reckless drivers accountable,” L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “These speed safety cameras are bolstering our ability to protect L.A. families so they can get to school, work and home safely. I look forward to working with Angelenos to ensure this program is fair, transparent and meets the needs of every community.”
Streets Are for Everyone Executive Director Damian Kevitt welcomed LADOT’s announcement, noting that the street safety organization has worked with the city for the last three years on the project — from legislation to implementation.
“We all know how bad speeding has gotten, and unfortunately, it continues to be the single largest factor behind the increase in serious injuries and fatalities across Los Angeles,” Kevitt said in a statement.
According to Kevitt, the implementation of speed safety systems could be the single most effective tool to save lives on L.A. roads since the seatbelt.
“We’ve already seen a 78% drop in speeding in San Francisco and a 42% drop in traffic fatalities in 2025. I look forward to seeing a similar drop in speeding and learning how many lives these speed safety systems will save in Los Angeles in 2027 and beyond,” Kevitt added.