As California embarks on an ambitious automated enforcement pilot to enhance road safety and reduce fatalities, technology emerges as a pivotal force for transformative change.
California Business Journal connected with EVP Jon Baldwin of Verra Mobility to delve into the potential impact and future of these innovative solutions on the state’s roadways.
In October 2023, California Gov. Gavin Newsom gave legislation California Office of Traffic Safety OTS
This October, San Francisco was the first pilot city to move forward with implementing the state’s first speed camera enforcement program. The city’s swift action is one based on the driven desire to make the city’s streets safer for all users. The city awarded the contract to Verra Mobility, which runs the largest speed safety programs in the country.
California’s approach builds on initiatives launched a few years ago across the United States, including the Vision Zero
“The primary focus of any automated enforcement program is safety. Various advocacy groups in California have been advocating for measures to reduce road fatalities. Speeding, strongly linked to fatal accidents, is a top concern. Automated enforcement, specifically speed cameras, plays a crucial role in this effort by capturing every vehicle that exceeds the speed limit,” Baldwin said.
Cameras Deter Reckless Driving
Empirical evidence suggests automated enforcement can help save lives on the road. New York City’s speed camera program, part of the Vision Zero initiative, has significantly reduced speeding. As of December 2021, speeding at fixed camera locations had dropped by an average of 73%, according to a report figures
These cameras are highly effective because they capture every speeding vehicle, leaving no room to avoid detection. This system works on the psychology of drivers—if they want to avoid a ticket, they must change their behavior. Unlike police officers, who can only stop one driver at a time, automated enforcement can monitor and ticket every vehicle that exceeds the speed limit, making it a far more comprehensive and effective solution.
The process is rapid. The technology records the violation and sends it to local law enforcement for verification before the offender is sent a citation.
“Our process is quick and efficient. When a camera detects a speeding violation, it compiles an evidence package that includes a video zooming in on the license plate and radar data; all overlaid together,” Baldwin said. “This evidence is securely sent to the cloud, where our team reviews it to ensure the license plate is visible. We then conduct a DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles] lookup to retrieve the vehicle owner’s information.”
Verra CEO Jon Baldwin Once the evidence package is finalized, the police receive it for review. If they confirm the citation is valid, the evidence returns to Verra Mobility and is mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner by snail mail. This process can take as little as one day.
Internet of Things fuel Smart Cities
As Moore’s Law drives exponential growth in connectivity speed and geographical coverage, the concept of the smart city—once a burgeoning idea of the early 2010s—has become a reality, largely thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT) – a network of connected devices exchanging data. This development has placed Verra Mobility in a competitive tech landscape, with the company’s leader confident that they are at the forefront of this evolving field.
While there are a few competitors in the market, what sets Verra Mobility apart “is our ability to provide every type of automated enforcement—from school buses to transit buses, red light cameras, speed cameras,” Baldwin said.
“Working with Verra Mobility means cities have a single, comprehensive solution for all your needs, unlike competitors who may only excel in one area. We offer it all.”
Verra Mobility has been in the industry for nearly three decades. During this time, the hardware and software solutions of the company continually evolved from film cameras to digital devices that later started feeding into internet-based and wireless cameras and now to streaming video. Today, the technology provides high-resolution, cloud-based, security-enabled camera ecosystems that capture every car on the road, mapping their speed with radar.
The Verra Mobility leader added that their expertise goes beyond mere technological prowess. “Working with municipalities involves more than just installing a camera and turning on software. We handle permits, dig holes, install poles, and connect to utilities, requiring a large engineering and installation team. We also remotely monitor and maintain the systems, with hundreds of regional staff supporting these programs. This long-term partnership with cities often includes placing our employees directly in the cities we serve – employees with decades of automated enforcement experience,” Baldwin said.
The company’s technology can also plug into existing infrastructure, even if the legacy tech already out on the roads is external to Verra Mobility. “Typically, after a program has been running for five or ten years, we upgrade the hardware at no cost to the customer. The customer is not required to purchase the camera or pay for installation; Verra Mobility covers all those costs. We include everything in a single monthly fee per camera. In California, this fixed-price contract is required by law, so there are no variable fees based on citation volume,” he added.
Artificial Intelligence En Route
As tiresome as it may sound, today, no technology discussion can bypass artificial intelligence (AI), a solution that Verra Mobility also uses. All their new cameras are AI-based and have connectivity, allowing remote access to view and control them.
“For example, if you have a red-light camera but want to monitor vehicles stopped in the intersection for illegal left turns, you can configure the camera to flag such events if legally permitted. Additionally, you can request data on speeding through intersections or other traffic studies. Consider our cameras as advanced AI appliances—they provide detailed road information, including average speed, car type, and license plates, as well as whether or not vehicles are violating laws. They are helpful for traffic intelligence, pattern analysis, and density monitoring,” Baldwin said.
But Verra Mobility only collects data that an individual state’s legislation allows. For example, California only captures and stores the data specified by local regulations, focusing solely on safety. In California, Verra Mobility cameras are programmed strictly for safety, without storing extensive data. In contrast, Florida, which emphasizes public safety, requires Verra Mobility to store video and metadata, including license plate information, for sixty days to analyze traffic patterns and assist in investigations.
No such data records people, however. “We blur out faces on our cameras to ensure privacy, so individuals are not identifiable. We only retrieve owner information for traffic violations, which is included in the evidence package sent to the police department and stored securely according to program rules. Data retention varies by state; some require information to be stored indefinitely, while others mandate deletion within twenty days. Protecting personal information is our priority, so we work with state motor vehicle departments, who conduct periodic audits to ensure our data security practices are compliant,” Baldwin said.
Verra Mobility’s technology has also been available overseas. The company has significant operations in Australia, where it has its second headquarters. Beyond programs available in the United States, Verra Mobility also runs average speed enforcement, measuring the time between two points. “Overseas, a stronger focus falls on zero fatalities, with considerable enforcement on highways. We operate in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, with Canada being the fifth major location outside the United States,” Baldwin said.
Making U.S. Roads Safer
Technology for automated enforcement originates overseas, where countries quickly adopt new safety technologies. In contrast, the United States is more conservative in deploying these programs, with California only recently starting a pilot program. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and France have had these systems in place for years. Why is it so different in the United States?
“The United States lacks a federal mandate for specific programs or speed reduction measures, as each state regulates its own speed limits and road regulations. With 50 states operating differently, we tailor our safety programs to match each state’s preferences, similar to how we adapt to regional differences in Australia or Canada,” Baldwin said.
While plenty of work remains, the company is focusing on California and the needs of the individual communities. Their San Francisco partnership is being hailed as the epitome of inclusion—embracing advocacy and equality while adapting to the city’s unique challenges. They even created a blueprint for the other pilot cities to easily adopt.
“Our decades of experience is a benefit as we’ve done this hundreds of times. In fact, we’ve even given the other California pilot cities a roadmap to success as our contract is extendable to each of them,” said Baldwin. “We know that we can help each city, and we’re excited for the opportunity to make California’s roads a safer place for all users.”
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