California's New Traffic Light Bill Aims To Save Lives (And Charges Violators $100s)

A new traffic law in California aims to reduce accidents caused by running red lights. Senate Bill 720 was passed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2025, amending an existing traffic law — AB 645 — by modifying the penalties for drivers. Walk San Francisco, a pedestrian safety initiative that supported the bill, states that this new law will not replace existing red light camera legislation, but will offer an alternative for cities that opt in. Before the new law, citations required an image of the offending driver's face, leading to some citations being unenforceable when the driver could not be identified. This meant some of the fines — reaching up to $500 — couldn't be collected. The previous legislation also doesn't require the revenue from these violations to go towards street safety infrastructure.

SB 720 will change that in several ways. It will cap first-time violations at $100, ticket and cite the vehicle rather than the driver to make it a civil offense, and then mandate that the revenues go directly to safety initiatives. This will make it easier to enforce the violations while still protecting drivers' privacy and ensuring the fines are manageable for lower-income offenders. It will also potentially improve pedestrian safety by directing the fines toward further street safety projects. For now, this red light camera law will only be implemented in Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, and San Francisco. Even then, it'll only apply to certain intersections, as most red lights still don't have cameras.

Walk San Francisco and other advocates of Senate Bill 720 have pushed for this law due to growing safety concerns surrounding running red lights. According to the bill text, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has reported 1,149 deaths and 107,000 injuries from red light running in 2022. "The crashes that result from red light running are likely to be severe or fatal because they are 'right-angle' crashes," stated Walk San Francisco. "Drivers running red lights are often also speeding, raising the stakes even more if a crash occurs." However, the IIHS found that cameras reduced fatal red light running crashes in larger cities by 21%.  

While this bill may seem like a no-brainer, there is some controversy about the use of cameras to issue citations to drivers. In New York City, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's push to add more cameras to its buses has led to New Yorkers claiming that the AI-powered cameras have sent over 3,800 incorrect and unwarranted tickets. Senate Bill 720 also mentions that cities may use automated traffic enforcement systems, allowing the cameras to detect and ticket drivers. Despite potential issues, cities around the United States are continuing to explore cameras and other new ways of slowing down speeding cars as the concerning behavior continues.