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Blog below:
Traffic Violence Is Not Hypothetical
Every day, people move through Philadelphia’s streets to run errands, meet a friend, commute to work, or simply exercise. But for people walking and biking, getting from one place to another can come with an unacceptable risk.
Imagine standing on a street corner and suddenly being hit by an entire 11-player football team. Depending on how fast that team is running, you may not survive.
Now imagine that instead of a football team, it’s a car.
The average football team weighs approximately 2,750 to 3,300 pounds. The average compact car weighs about 4,000 pounds. In other words, when you’re struck by a car, you’re being hit by an object that weighs roughly as much as an entire football team and potentially even more.
The difference is that a car can be traveling 20, 30, or even 40 miles per hour when it hits you. The faster it is traveling, the more devastating the impact can be.
This isn’t hypothetical. Every year, approximately 100 Philadelphians are victims of traffic violence. Behind every one of those deaths is a person who should have made it home safely.
The reality is that many of these deaths could have been prevented. Poor infrastructure and dangerous driving behavior continue to put people at risk, leaving families to mourn the loss of loved ones and the future memories, birthdays, and milestones they will never get to share.
Philadelphia Has a Traffic Safety Crisis
According to the City of Philadelphia Comptroller, Philadelphia outpaces Chicago and New York City in traffic fatalities per 100,000 people. That is striking, considering Chicago and New York are two of the largest cities in America.
In layman’s terms, approximately nine people die for every 100,000 residents. That is unacceptable.
And it does not have to be this way. Other cities have demonstrated that Vision Zero, the goal of eliminating traffic deaths is achievable. Such as in Hoboken, New Jersey who’s achieved vision zero since 2017 and Alexandria, Virginia, who achieved Vision Zero in 2023.
Philadelphia should be striving for the same outcome.
Speeding Is a Major Problem
One of the most significant contributors to traffic violence is speeding. When a driver travels faster, they have less time to react, and crashes become more likely to result in severe injury or death.
Philadelphia’s experience with automated speed enforcement provides data that demonstrates just how widespread speeding can be and how effective speed cameras can be in changing driver behavior.
Roosevelt Boulevard: A Case Study in Automated Speed Enforcement
Roosevelt Boulevard has long been one of Philadelphia’s most dangerous roadways. Between 2016 and 2022, 100 people died in crashes on Roosevelt Boulevard.
Recognizing the severity of the problem, the Pennsylvania legislature took action in 2018 by authorizing a five-year pilot program allowing automated speed enforcement cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard. The cameras began issuing tickets in August 2020.
The results have been significant.
In 2023, the City of Philadelphia shared results from the program covering 2020 through 2023. Those results showed:
- 95% fewer speeding violations
- 21% fewer fatal and serious-injury crashes
- 50% fewer crashes involving people walking
The results are especially important because they demonstrate that automated speed enforcement is not simply about issuing tickets. The cameras are changing driver behavior and, most importantly, preventing dangerous crashes.
The City also announced that automated speed enforcement cameras on Roosevelt Boulevard would become permanent and expand to five additional state roads.
Automated Speed Enforcement Can Save Lives
There is perhaps no more important measure of the success of these cameras than lives saved.
As of December 2023, the City of Philadelphia stated that ASE saves one life per month and since 2020, 36 lives have been saved as a result of the Roosevelt Boulevard automated speed enforcement program. If the same rate of lives saved has continued, that would mean approximately 68 lives have been saved through automated speed enforcement on Roosevelt boulevard year to date.
Every one of those lives represents a person who was able to go home to their family, celebrate another birthday, make another memory, or simply continue living their life.
That is why the debate from those who oppose automated speed enforcement should not focus solely on tickets, but should focus on the people who were not injured or killed by a vehicle as a result of these cameras slowing cars down.
Behind Every Traffic Death Is a Person
Statistics can sometimes make traffic violence feel abstract. But behind every number is a person, a family, and a community left to deal with an unimaginable loss.
Any loss of life is unacceptable. It is especially gruesome to read stories about pedestrians being thrown feet into the air after being struck by a vehicle. Earlier this year, in July 2026, a woman was killed in a hit-and-run crash along Oregon Avenue.
Stories like this remind us that traffic violence is a public health emergency resulting from policy failure.It is a crisis that affects real people every day.
Broad Street ASE Report
The evidence is not limited to Roosevelt Boulevard.
On Broad Street, nearly 800,000 violations or warnings were issued between September 2025 and March 2026. Yet since the cameras were installed, violations have dropped by 67%.
Once again, the numbers point to an important conclusion: when drivers know that speeding is being monitored, they slow down.
The evidence points that ASE leads to less dangerous driving, it helps prevent crashes, and makes sure everyone, whether they are walking, biking, taking transit, or driving can safely get home.
Until We Achieve Vision Zero, We Need Every Tool Available
Automated speed enforcement is not a substitute for better street design, safer infrastructure, improved public transportation, or other traffic-safety measures. Philadelphia needs all of these tools to create streets where people can safely travel without fear of being seriously injured or killed.
But automated speed enforcement is one tool that is already demonstrating measurable results.
Speed matters. A person who is struck by a vehicle traveling 40 miles per hour has a dramatically lower chance of survival than someone struck at 20 miles per hour. Only about one in four people survives a crash when hit at 40 miles per hour, while approximately nine out of 10 survive when hit at 20 miles per hour.
Those numbers make one thing clear: slowing down saves lives.
Slow Down, Save Lives
Families for Safe Streets Greater Philadelphia (FSSGP) is hosting a Slow Down, Save Lives Advocacy Walk on Sunday, September 27, 2026, to show our support for the new automated speed enforcement cameras along Route 13.
We hope you will join us and show your support for safer streets. If you are unable to walk the entire route, please join us for a portion of the walk.
Every life matters. Every family matters. And every person should be able to travel through Philadelphia without fearing that a speeding vehicle could take their life.
Slow down. Save lives. Help Philadelphia achieve Vision Zero.
FSSGP Petition to Governor Shapiro to End Traffic Violence in Pennsylvania
Join our call to Governor Shapiro to End Traffic Violence in Pennsylvania. Every crash represents a person, a family, and a community affected by preventable traffic violence. Traffic deaths and serious injuries are preventable. Our roads can be safer.
We urge Governor Shapiro to make traffic safety a public health priority and take meaningful actions to end preventable traffic violence in Pennsylvania.
Sign the petition and demand safer streets for every Pennsylvanian >>