SAFE Calls on Governor to Approve SB 720, Modernizing Enforcement and Saving Lives
By Damian Kevitt
SAFE (Streets Are For Everyone) released the report The Hidden Cost of Red Light Running in California showing the devastating toll of red light running across California—both in human lives and economic cost—and urged Governor Newsom to sign Senate Bill 720 (SB 720), a measure that would modernize automated red light enforcement and save lives.
Red light running has become a statewide crisis. In 2023 alone, 195 people were killed and more than 1,200 severely injured in California due to drivers ignoring red lights. Since 2013, severe injuries and fatalities at intersections have risen 96.1%, with nearly one in five victims being pedestrians or cyclists.
“Every number in these statistics represents a life, a family, a story cut short,” said Damian Kevitt, Executive Director of SAFE. “These are not accidents. They are preventable tragedies.”
Stories of Preventable Tragedies
While the statistics are alarming and worsening, it’s the stories of the people impacted that need to be told.
- Ty Wells, a professional dancer who shared the stage with artists like Katy Perry and P!NK, lost his leg after being struck by a red light runner in Los Angeles. In the same year, 69 people died, and nearly 400 others were severely injured at LA County intersections because someone decided not to stop.
- Neveah and Alinah Flores, just three and four years old, were killed days before Thanksgiving in Rialto when a pickup plowed through a red light and obliterated their family’s car.
- Maddux Greene and Jordan Galvez, just graduated from Clovis East High School, but will never go to college because they were killed by a driver who ran a red light in Kern County.
The Hidden Cost
SAFE’s analysis, using CDC’s WISQARS Cost of Injury calculator, revealed the staggering economic burden of intersection crashes from 2021 to 2023:
- $985 million from severe injuries, nearly a third of it in medical costs.
- $6.96 billion from fatalities.
- $7.9 billion total, draining resources that could otherwise strengthen schools, hospitals, and communities.
The Most Dangerous Counties
The report also reviewed the number of serious injuries and fatalities between 2021 and 2023, by county:
- The average number of severe injuries and fatalities for the State of California is 1,396 or 3.56 per 100,000 people.
- Los Angeles County, representing 25.1% of California’s population, has 31.1% (an average of 420 per year) of the severe injuries and fatalities due to intersection violations. This is the largest amount compared to other counties, but not the largest per capita.
When looking at only the largest counties in California by population (those with populations larger than 750,000), the most dangerous counties per capita are:
A Modern Solution: SB 720
California’s current red light camera law, written in 1995, is outdated, requiring facial photographs of drivers that are costly, invasive, and often unusable in court. As a result, many cities have abandoned their programs, leaving intersections unprotected.
SB 720, the Safer Streets Program, would fix this. Modeled after the state’s successful speed safety camera law (AB 645), the bill:
- Eliminates facial photography, using license plate capture only.
- Treats violations like parking tickets, simplifying enforcement.
- Requires all revenue to be reinvested directly into traffic safety improvements.
- Reduces fines for the first infraction to $100, with no additional fees allowed. However, for repeat violations, fines increase: $100, $200, $350, and $500.
- Improves due process by ensuring all evidence is provided to the offending driver and providing a simple way to handle any appeal without having to take off work to go to court.
Studies show that well-designed red light camera programs reduce fatal crashes by more than 20% and have saved thousands of lives nationwide. When such programs are dismantled, crashes and fatalities spike again by as much as 30%.
“As police agencies across the state have stepped away from traffic enforcement, people running red lights and endangering lives in intersections have become commonplace,” added Kevitt. “SB 720 is a common-sense, life-saving solution that will prevent needless tragedies, save billions in taxpayer costs, and provide resources for badly needed road safety improvements that the Federal Government is no longer funding. The Governor has a chance to act—and the time is now.”
SAFE has issued a call to action, urging those who support the need for safer intersections to write to the Governor, asking him to sign SB 720, using this link: https://bit.ly/SB720Support.
