Percentage of Citations for Top Five Causes of Collisions

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SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPARTMENT

In 2012, the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA) analyzed police data about traffic collisions in San Francisco. The agency identified the five most common causes of collisions and injuries:

  • speeding
  • violating pedestrian right-of-way in a crosswalk
  • running red lights
  • running stop signs
  • failing to yield while turning. 

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) commits to issuing at least half of traffic citations for these five violations. Focusing enforcement on these issues helps prevent collisions and supports the City’s “Vision Zero” goal to end traffic fatalities by 2024.

The chart below shows the citations issued for these causes in each police district. It also shows these citations as a percent of all traffic citations.

Use the buttons at the top of the chart to see the total number of "Focus on the Five" citations or percent of those citations out of all traffic citations. Use the filter pane on the right of the chart to select specific police district stations or a group of stations. 

PERCENTAGE OF “FOCUS ON THE FIVE” CITATIONS

Data note: The percentage of citations for the top five causes of collisions is calculated as a share of traffic citations. Before September 2016, this calculation was as a percentage of all citations.

The landscape of each police district contributes to the types of citations issued. For example, large police districts (like Bayview, Ingleside, and Taraval) have the most stop signs. Dense police districts (like Central, Southern, and Northern) have the most signalized intersections. The Tenderloin police district includes only one stop sign.

SFPD has three grant initiatives aimed at increasing traffic safety: one to address driving under the influence, one to address traffic around schools and involving senior citizens, and a Safe Speeds Campaign to address speed enforcement. The Safe Speeds Campaign is a cooperative effort with the Department of Public Health and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

How Performance is Measured

Police officers in the Traffic Detail division issue citations with a handheld device. These citations are downloaded at the end of each shift. 

Other police officers issue citations on paper. Each police precinct records these citations by hand and reports them in a data system. A project is underway to have all of the data readily available via the automated, handheld system.

The San Francisco Police Department reports these results online every month. Visit their website to download the latest reports. The Controller's Office compiles this data to create the charts on this page.

The number displayed on the scorecard page represents a fiscal year average of the values in the chart above.

Additional Information

Data

Please visit the SFPD website for the scorecard data.