Driving in Los Angeles is about to change in a big way as the city rolls out an automated speed enforcement system that cuts judges out of early penalty decisions entirely. Under California legislation passed in 2023, Los Angeles will deploy up to 125 speed cameras, with full automated ticketing expected to begin sometime in 2026.
The Largest Program in the State
The rollout is authorized under Assembly Bill 645 and will run as a five-year Speed Safety System Pilot Program. Los Angeles will operate the largest deployment anywhere in California, outpacing similar efforts already underway in San Francisco, Glendale, Oakland, and Long Beach. City officials say the goal is addressing rising traffic fatalities by closely monitoring high-risk areas, including school zones, parks, construction sites, senior centers, and heavily traveled commercial corridors.
The system works much like a red-light camera. Once a vehicle exceeds the posted speed limit, the violation gets recorded and a citation is mailed straight to the registered owner — regardless of who was actually behind the wheel, which shifts responsibility onto the vehicle’s owner rather than requiring officers to identify the driver in the moment.
How the Fines Escalate
Penalties climb quickly with speed. Driving 11 to 15 miles per hour over the limit brings a $50 ticket. Going 16 to 25 miles per hour over doubles that to $100. Speeds of 26 to 99 miles per hour over the limit carry a $200 fine, and anything over 100 miles per hour triggers a $500 penalty.
Why 100 MPH Is a Critical Threshold
That top-tier 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, where the DMV’s Driver Safety Branch can independently review the case and impose administrative penalties — including license suspension or revocation — even before a court hearing ever takes place.
State officials report that CHP issues roughly 1,600 citations a month for drivers exceeding 100 miles per hour, adding up to more than 18,000 cases in 2024 alone. The automated camera system is designed to speed up enforcement against those drivers by cutting out delays tied to traditional court proceedings.
The Numbers Driving the Push
The push for automated enforcement comes as state data shows a sharp rise in dangerous driving. Fatalities and serious injuries linked to speeding and aggressive behavior have climbed 52 percent since 2010. Officials are hoping the expanded camera network will slow traffic, cut down on severe crashes, and rein in the behavior driving those numbers as Los Angeles drivers adjust to a new level of oversight on city streets.