What San Francisco can learn from Uruguay's experiments with speed cameras

Several years ago, traffic crashes and pedestrian deaths from speeding were out of control in Uruguay. So, officials installed a national network of speed cameras.

That system was no joke — hence the warnings. And it worked.

During my week in the country, I rarely saw anyone speeding. And I couldn’t help but admire Uruguay’s exceedingly well-executed plans.

Bright signs warned drivers well in advance of camera areas — giving no excuse for failing to slow down. The intent was clearly to change behavior, not to collect fines.

Camera zones didn’t just last for an intersection or two — they sometimes went on for miles in highly populated areas.

Meanwhile, Uruguay didn’t simply send tickets in the mail and call it a day. It used a variety of techniques to fundamentally change the country’s toxic driving culture.

In high-danger areas, such as near schools or crowded beaches, speed limits were lowered — enforced by cameras — to as little as 15 mph. Meanwhile, crosswalks in these zones were mostly raised — forming massive speed bumps. This ensured that drivers couldn’t absent-mindedly ignore speed limits and blow through crowded street crossings; paying attention was mandatory. These bumps also protected against speedy bad actors who might otherwise cover their license plates to avoid camera fines.

Traffic deaths dropped by 24% from record highs after the cameras went up. Still, that wasn’t good enough. So, in 2016, Uruguay passed no-tolerance drunk driving laws. Fatalities dropped 20% more.