Ray Pedrosa has been at the forefront of safety technology in California throughout his career.

Ray Pedrosa does not think of himself as a salesman. Despite his recently expanded geographic area of responsibility as Director of Commercial and Account Management for Verra Mobility, he would tell you he works in mobility and has been in the business since you had to pull the film out of the cameras and enforcement photos were developed in a dark room.

For more than 20 years, he has worked with government agency partners to implement technology that creates smarter cities and roadways. His work isn’t just about building a company, but about making communities safer.

His adept resume made him an instant asset to Verra Mobility when he joined in 2005. Today, he manages the western region of the United States, from Hawaii to Louisiana.

Verra Mobility, founded in 1987, has emerged as a global leader in mobility solutions and drawing subject matters to join an innovative industry team of engineers, product developers, and technology professionals. Today, they are the leading provider of smart transportation solutions and empower communities to make mobility safer, more efficient and more sustainable.

Focused on innovation and technology, Verra has transformed the way individuals move and interact with transportation systems worldwide. This commitment is weaved through their products, such as their speed safety enforcement and bus lane enforcement systems.

The safety technology company’s track record of successfully implementing speed enforcement and multiple other safety mobility enforcement systems for government agencies and private companies helped Pedrosa and his team secure contracts with some of the nation’s largest metropolitan regions. The technology is in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

In Seattle, Pedrosa was an integral part of not only launching the state’s first red-light program in 2006 and speed program in 2008, but also in legislative efforts to ensure the programs were written in a fair and equitable way and addressed concerns from all parties.

Now this program is considered one of the most successful programs in the country — one that other cities look to emulate.

“Cities are looking at safety more thoughtfully than before,” he says. “It’s more holistic. They’re looking to mobility solutions to answer the questions: How can we get more people riding buses? How can we reduce traffic congestion? How can we reduce our carbon footprint? Enforcement isn’t the sole reason, but it’s still a driving factor in California. People drive too fast and are too distracted.”

Speeding is approximately 30% of all U.S. traffic fatalities, and data shows that 35% of fatalities in California are speeding-related. With a shocking number of pedestrians struck and killed each year, Pedrosa says “our work is more important than ever.” Last year in Los Angeles, a metro region of over 12.4 million people, 336 people were killed by vehicles.

The data for people of color is far worse. Because of the locations of speed corridors, African American pedestrians in California are 62% more likely to die in vehicle crashes than white Californians.

“Our technology ensures enforcement is equitable,” Pedrosa says. “The equipment only looks at the outside of a vehicle and captures the license plate, not the driver — this way the technology can eliminate bias and focus on making streets safer.”

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