Plans are in place to double school zone safety cameras this year and a proposed update to laws would allow new types of safety cameras in the future.
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Summary:
- Seattle has used traffic safety cameras since 2006 to catch red light runners, speeders, bus lane violators, and people blocking intersections and crosswalks.
- Safety cameras are proven to increase safety, reducing speeding, crashes, serious injuries, and traffic deaths.
- The Seattle City Council is considering updating local safety camera laws to align with state law changes passed in 2024.
- If approved, the update would support SDOT’s Vision Zero goal to end traffic deaths and serious injuries by expanding the safety camera program and improving processes.
- Plans are in place to double the number of school safety zone cameras in 2025. If the law passes, safety and equity data will continue to guide where new safety cameras are installed.
- We presented an overview of the traffic safety camera program to the Seattle City Council on April 15, 2025. You can view the presentation online, watch a video of the meeting on the Seattle Channel, or read the proposed legislation.
Traffic safety cameras in Seattle – a brief overview
We all want to get where we need to go safely and efficiently. As we continue to build infrastructure upgrades like new sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes, enforcement of existing traffic laws is another key piece of the puzzle.
Since 2006, SDOT has worked closely with the Seattle Police Department to co-manage a network of safety cameras in Seattle. This includes red light cameras, school zone speed cameras, and cameras to prevent drivers from blocking intersections, crosswalks, and bus lanes.
As of Spring 2025, we have:
- 23 intersections with red light cameras
- 6 bus lanes with cameras
- 6 intersections with “block the box” cameras
- 19 school safety zones with speed cameras. (Later this year, we will double the number of school zone safety cameras leading to a total of 38 school zones with safety cameras).
“Traffic safety cameras encourage people to drive at safe speeds and follow the law. The data is clear that these cameras are an effective tool with proven results. We look forward to equitably implementing the proposed updates in support of our Vision Zero goal to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets.” – Adiam Emery, Interim Director, Seattle Department of Transportation
The traffic safety camera program helps reduce speeding, prevent collisions, and improve travel safety on Seattle’s streets.
Seattle’s traffic safety cameras have been proven to decrease crashes and illegal behavior over time:
- 71% reduction in crashes in areas where Seattle’s school speed zone cameras are active.
- 50% reduction in fatal collisions at intersections with red light cameras.
- 64% reduction in daily traffic violations per school speed zone camera location.
- 95% of people who receive and pay a ticket never receive another citation at the same camera location.
Proposed update to Seattle traffic safety camera law would allow us to improve and expand the program
The Seattle City Council is considering legislation to update Seattle’s traffic safety camera program and align the Seattle Municipal Code with changes to State law passed in 2024.
We presented an update to the Seattle City Council on April 15, 2025. You can view the presentation online, watch a video of the meeting on the Seattle Channel, or read the text of the proposed legislation.
The proposed legislation would:
A) Align the types of safety cameras to match recent updates to state law by:
- Making bus lane and “block the box” (illegally blocking crosswalks and intersections) cameras a permanent type of enforcement.
- Authorizing speed zone cameras in more places, including near parks, hospitals, roadwork construction, school walk routes, and other high crash risk locations.
- Allowing cameras at railroad crossings and ferry lines.
B) Update financial penalties and warnings by:
- Adjusting financial penalties to match new state law.
- Clarifying that Seattle Municipal Court may create payment plans and various penalty reduction programs for eligible residents.
- Establishing a 30-day warning-only period for all new cameras that are not in school speed zones.
C) Streamline traffic safety camera program management by:
- Allowing other trained city employees to review camera citations in addition to police officers.
- Streamlining city budgeting by creating an Automated Traffic Camera Safety Fund to receive almost all safety camera revenues. Net revenue in this fund will be invested in safety and accessibility enhancements.
- Requiring equity and safety analyses to determine camera locations.
- Increasing annual reporting requirements to continuously measure the success of safety cameras.
- Maintain strong privacy protection requirements to keep people’s identity safe.
How traffic safety camera expansion would work
If approved, the updated law will allow us to improve safety by adding or relocating safety cameras annually based on traffic safety needs. It will also make the traffic safety camera program more cohesive and transparent.
Here’s the process we would use to expand the traffic safety camera program:
1) Select Camera Locations
- We would choose camera locations based on a transparent analysis of safety, equity, inclusive community engagement, and input from our program partners within the City.
- The goal is to find the places where cameras can have the biggest safety benefit as we work on other kinds of safety investments which take longer to build.
2) Education & Signs
- We are committed to equitable enforcement, including conducting educational outreach about new camera locations as plans are confirmed.
- We would install street signs at least 30 days before the cameras are turned on so people are aware.
- We will also inform local communities where new cameras are planned in a variety of ways like mail, online information, and direct outreach.
3) Safety Cameras Turned On
- All cameras that are not in a school zone would be programmed to only send warning notices for the first 30 days after being activated.
- Cameras in school zones would begin issuing tickets immediately when they are turned on because the safety of children is so important.
4) Break the law, a ticket’s mailed
- Payments are due to the Seattle Municipal Court. You can find more detailed guidance on the Municipal Court’s website.
- There are several options for support if you can’t pay your ticket. People with limited incomes who receive government assistance may be eligible for reduced fines on their first safety camera infraction.
5) Safety Investments Made
- Most traffic ticket revenue will be used to fund safety improvement projects like new sidewalks, flashing beacons, crosswalks, and more.
- A portion of red light camera revenue will continue to go to the City’s general fund.
- This could potentially include safety upgrades which reduce the need for safety cameras in certain locations, allowing us to relocate them to other places or remove them eventually.
6) Evaluation
- We will continuously monitor the effectiveness of the safety cameras considering factors such as whether illegal behavior decreases and crashes become less common.
- We will publish an annual evaluation report online and forward the report to Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
- This helps ensure that cameras are used effectively over time. Cameras can potentially be relocated if the data shows there is another place where they are needed more.
Next steps
As Seattle City Council considers the proposed legislation, SDOT staff will continue to work on drafting updated traffic safety camera implementation guidelines to match the potential legal updates.
This will provide more detailed guidance on how we evaluate the traffic safety camera program. It will also identify criteria for how to locate new safety cameras based on safety, equity, and inclusive community input.
We do not yet have specific recommendations for how many of each of the new types of safety cameras to add, or where to locate them. This will come later, after the local law has been updated.
But we do still plan to double the number of school zone safety cameras this year. This has already been approved by City Council in the 2025 adopted budget. We will provide more updates on our progress in the coming months.
