Speed demons, beware: Speed cameras are coming to Los Angeles by Halloween

Los Angeles drivers will have a harder time getting away with speeding come Halloween as a network of 125 cameras starts to come on line citywide to catch those driving over the speed limit.

The cameras were supposed to be installed between April and July, but a Los Angeles Department of Transportation spokesperson said the agency needed time to establish contracts for the construction of the cameras, which took all summer to secure.

“The goal is to do it right rather than do it fast and run into problems later down the line,” said Colin Sweeney, the spokesperson.

LADOT officials, along with City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez and Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), announced Thursday that the first 20 or so cameras in L.A.’s Automated Speed Safety System will be installed no later than Oct. 26.

All 125 cameras in the program will be activated before the end of the year, Sweeney said. In each case, a 60-day warning period will be implemented after activation, in which motorists going 11 mph or more above the speed limit will receive a written warning.

After the grace period, violators will be fined.

“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,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a news release. “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.”

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The cameras will take a photo of the speeding vehicle’s license plate, with the data used to identify the registered vehicle owner on file with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The owner will receive a notice of violation in the mail within 15 days.

The violation is similar to a parking ticket in that it won’t count as points against the driver’s license. The vehicle owner is responsible for paying the fine, even if someone else drove the vehicle.

Under Assembly Bill 645, 125 cameras will be placed in 15 council districts in high-injury areas, school zones and street racing hot spots.

Each council district will get at least eight speed cameras.

“I authored the legislation that made today possible so Los Angeles can test a proven, commonsense tool with privacy built in,” Friedman said. “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.”

The penalty for violating the speed limit depends on how fast the driver is going. The fines are:

• $50 for driving 11 to 15 mph over the speed limit.
• $100 for 16 to 25 mph over the limit.
• $200 for 26 to 99 mph over the limit.
• $500 for 100 mph or more over the limit.

Nearly 300 people are killed every year in traffic crashes in the city, with speed serving as the leading factor.

Speed cameras have been shown to reduce speeding by 31% to 82% and fatal crashes by 53% to 71%, according to LADOT.

The statewide pilot program will include Los Angeles, San José, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach and San Francisco.

“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,” Soto-Martínez said in a statement. “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.”