By Shawn Henry 
Driving in Los Angeles is poised to change dramatically as the city moves forward with an automated speed enforcement system that reduces the role of judges in early penalty decisions. Under California legislation passed in 2023, Los Angeles will begin rolling out up to 125 speed cameras, with full automated ticketing expected to begin in 2026.
The program is authorized under Assembly Bill 645 and will operate as a five-year Speed Safety System Pilot Program. Los Angeles will have the largest deployment in the state, exceeding similar efforts already underway in San Francisco, Glendale, Oakland, and Long Beach. City officials say the cameras are intended to address rising traffic fatalities by closely monitoring areas considered high risk, including school zones, parks, construction sites, senior centers, and heavily traveled commercial corridors.
The system functions similarly to red-light cameras. When a vehicle exceeds the posted speed limit, the violation is recorded and a citation is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle. The citation is issued regardless of who was driving at the time, placing responsibility on the vehicle’s owner rather than requiring immediate identification of the driver.
Fines escalate quickly based on speed. Driving 11 to 15 miles per hour over the limit results in a $50 ticket. Speeds of 16 to 25 miles per hour over the limit double that amount. Drivers traveling 26 to 99 miles per hour above the posted speed face a $200 fine. Any violation involving speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour triggers a $500 penalty.
That threshold connects directly to newer state-level enforcement measures. Citations issued by the California Highway Patrol for speeds above 100 miles per hour are automatically forwarded to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV’s Driver Safety Branch can independently review those cases and impose administrative penalties, including license suspension or revocation, even before a court hearing takes place.
State officials report that CHP issues roughly 1,600 citations each month for drivers exceeding 100 miles per hour, accounting for more than 18,000 cases in 2024 alone. The automated system is designed to accelerate enforcement against those drivers by removing delays tied to traditional court proceedings.
The changes come as state data shows a sharp increase in dangerous driving. Fatalities and serious injuries linked to speeding and aggressive behavior have risen 52 percent since 2010. Officials hope the expanded use of automated enforcement will slow traffic, reduce severe crashes, and curb the behavior contributing to those trends as Los Angeles drivers adjust to increased oversight on city streets.
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