San Francisco has slower drivers compared to many other major cities
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San Francisco drivers tend to drive slower than the national average on major pedestrian-heavy roadways, making our city streets generally safer for people on foot in comparison to other large metro areas.
What's happening: About 66% of major San Francisco roads with frequent pedestrian traffic have average vehicle speeds under 25 mph, compared to the national average of 36%.
Why it matters: Pedestrians are twice as likely to be killed in an accident when a car is traveling at an average of 30 mph compared to 20 mph, and over five times more likely when a car is driving at 40 mph, according to data from the AAA Foundation.
Driving the news: The finding is based on a report from StreetLight Data, which tracks mobility trends using anonymous cellphone data and other sources.
- The group's objective was to understand how fast vehicles are going and the impact on pedestrian safety, creating what it calls a "Safe Speed Index."
- Among the 30 largest U.S. cities, San Francisco had the third-best Safe Speed Index.
What they're saying: Despite San Francisco's strong performance in the index, sustainable transportation advocate Luke Bornheimer told Axios San Francisco the city should install more protected bike lanes to "further reduce speeds and help more people feel safe riding bikes and other forms of transportation."
- He also argued that the city could do more to encourage people to use bikes and other forms of public transportation over cars, "which reduces roadway deaths and injuries, noise and air pollution, and helps fight climate change."
- The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency did not respond to our request for comment.
State of play: In 2014, San Francisco committed to eliminating traffic-related deaths by 2024 as part of its "Vision Zero" plan.
- Last year, the city permanently designated 32 miles of streets as "Slow Streets" — a program that started during the pandemic and limits vehicle traffic on certain streets.
By the numbers: There have been zero fatalities on Slow Streets since the program began, according to an SFMTA report study published last month.
- Yes, but: Six pedestrians have died in traffic-related accidents in other parts of San Francisco this year, according to city data through May.
- Last year, there were 20 traffic fatalities in the city involving pedestrians.
- Statewide, there were 2.82 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents in 2022, according to a separate report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
The big picture: At least 7,508 pedestrians were struck and killed by cars in the United States in 2022 — the most in 41 years — per the GHSA report.
- Nationwide pedestrian fatalities have skyrocketed 77% since 2010, compared to 25% for all other traffic-related deaths, the report also found.
- Time of day matters too; most pedestrian deaths occur at night.
What's next: The Biden administration is proposing a new rule that would set higher performance standards for automatic emergency braking and pedestrian-detection technology that could potentially reduce pedestrian deaths.