Vehicle crashes and injuries in San Francisco cost about $2.5 billion over a five-year period, according to a report released by the Budget and Legislative Analyst today.
That was for an estimated 92,799 total crashes in San Francisco, or 18,560 crashes each year between 2018 and 2022. Those crashes likely resulted in more than 113,000 vehicles damaged, more than 33,000 injuries and nearly 200 fatalities.
In 2024, the city recorded 42 traffic deaths.
The numbers are increasing. Today’s report estimated traffic fatalities in 2022 cost more than $81 million, compared to just $61 million in 2021 and less than $45 million in 2018.
The costs of these collisions, injuries, and fatalities are split: Among private insurance companies, third parties like healthcare providers and charities, and federal, state and local public funds. Twenty-three percent of the collision costs nationally, the report said, are paid by individual victims.
The report was unable to parse the amount paid out by the city, but noted that about 3.2 percent of traffic collision costs, some $81 million, were paid by the city and state revenues over the five-year period.
The city also swallows some of the costs in settling claims and litigating lawsuits: From 2020 to 2024, the City Attorney’s Office reported paying $61.4 million alone in settlements and judgments for crashes involving city vehicles.
The report suggested that the Municipal Transportation Agency and the Department of Public Health need to do more to improve the situation, and that the Board of Supervisors should push them to do so.
“Though many of its projects have goals of reducing congestion and collisions, the SFMTA does not separately track and report such projects and related initiatives,” the report read.
In response to the report, District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar called for a hearing to discuss how to “reduce both the loss of life and limb, and the exorbitant spending.”
“Every preventable crash on our streets is a blow to our recovery,” Melgar said in a statement. “If we want thriving small businesses, bustling corridors, and a city people want to live and work in, we have to make our streets safer.”
Jodie Medeiros, the executive director of Walk San Francisco, said in a statement that city leaders need to prioritize traffic safety.
“Right now, San Francisco has no Vision Zero policy or plan in place,” said Medeiros. “With each day, this is costing us in terms of human lives — and, as this report shows, a lot of money.”
SF should certainly add measures to minimize auto crashes and, more specifically, injuries and fatalities. These numbers can be brought much lower with better enforcement and traffic engineering. On the plus side, per the report: “It is notable that San Francisco had significantly lower per capita crashes, injuries, and fatalities over the period of 2017 through 2022 than national averages.” And, by my rough math, we incur about 1/2 the costs per capita due to car crashes compared to the nationwide costs.
Allow the citizens of this city to report certain moving infractions (e.g. speeding, failing to yield to pedestrians, running red lights) and collect a percentage of the fine. The IRS already does this (IRS Whistleblower Office will pay 15% to 30% of the collected amount) as well as NYC with their idling truck laws. Almost everyone has the ability to take and submit photo and video evidence. Once drivers learn that will face numerous fines for their poor driving, they will alter their behavior. At the same time, you give folks an opportunity to be compensated for being wronged. The BoS could figure out the details and put it into law by summer. Enough of this Zero Vision nonsense.
Well, for starters, Ms. Melgar can ask for better enforcement in her own district.
The end of West Portal Ave by the Muni station was modified when the family of four was killed, true.
But drivers continue to drive through that intersection with complete disregard to the new rules in place. It’s stunning to watch.
The M and K trains have a terrible time on West Portal, Ocean, and Euclid with cars trying to jump in front and ahead of them at intersections, and trying to pass while pedestrians are actively getting off the trains. I don’t even want to start with what goes on with the M on 19th when it tries to merge and drivers willfully disregard the signals.
We also have a rash of unregistered cars in this area. I literally count 3-4 each block when I walk around. These cars are not insured.
Cars without legally required front plates and back plate covers that obscure for all those new cameras — what about them?
Stop signs and even red lights seem optional in almost every neighbor I visit.
People actively engaged with their phones while driving.
It all boils down to strong and strict enforcement from SFPD, MTA. No more excuses. If other cities can do it, so can we.
Accident victims are not getting Billions, lawyers are.
Call The Law Brothers.
I’m Team Anh Phoong. Don’t get me started on creepy Sweet James…
“discuss how to “reduce both the loss of life and limb, and the exorbitant spending.”
Well, you can start with enforcing traffic laws (including parking) but then it will immediately be called racist, so instead we can just discuss it more and then discuss and discuss again.
Traffic accidents are always unfortunate. But I never hear ordinary city residents raising this issue as being an important one. Voters appear to worry more about many other issues more than this one.
“the SFMTA does not separately track and report”.
So they want a count. Which, if done in good faith, will end up showing how that stuff that’s been splattered into the streets over the last few years is useless, at best. Put in place in the name of safety, championed by you-know-who interest groups. Not a good recipe for SFMTA, because they probably already know what that means: They get the blame, not the you-know-who’s.