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TransportationVision Zero

Philly traffic deaths fell 26% last year. The city wants three more speed camera corridors

The 2026 Vision Zero report counts 89 deaths in 2025, down from 120, and credits speed cameras for part of the drop. Every camera expansion so far has started as a City Council bill, and each passed without a 'no' vote.

By Philadelphia Politics staffUpdated

Fewer people died on Philadelphia's streets last year. The city's 2026 Vision Zero annual report counts 89 traffic deaths in 2025, down 26% from 120 in 2024. The city calls it the largest one-year drop since the program began in 2016 (city release, Inquirer). The report also calls for three new speed camera zones, which could roughly double the number of cameras, WHYY reported.

If you walk, bike or drive here, the risk is still high. Philadelphia has about 9 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents, compared with fewer than 3 in New York City, according to WHYY. A day before the report came out, a 64-year-old woman jogging near Clark Park was struck and killed by a Route 13 trolley at 45th Street and Chester Avenue, the Inquirer reported. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

What the report says

  • Who is dying. People on foot were about 6% of everyone involved in crashes but 41% of those killed, Vision Zero coordinator Virginia Lynn told the Inquirer. Serious injuries that weren't fatal rose slightly.
  • When. Most speeding-related crashes happen between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m., Lynn said.
  • Speed matters. Program manager Marco Gorini said a person hit at 20 mph has about a 10% chance of dying, rising to about 50% at 30 mph and 90% at 40 mph (Inquirer, WHYY).
  • Cameras. Fatalities on Roosevelt Boulevard are down 40% since its cameras arrived in 2020, and speeding violations on Broad Street fell 67% after cameras went up there, according to a Parking Authority report cited by the Inquirer.
  • Street work. The city added traffic calming on 27 blocks, installed 52 pedestrian head-start signals on its High Injury Network, and secured $88 million in safety grants, the release says. The High Injury Network is about 12% of city roads but accounts for about 80% of serious crashes.

Managing Director Carlton Williams said in the release that "every traffic death is preventable." WHYY reported that he also said fatalities "remain too high."

What our records add

Philadelphia needs permission from Harrisburg to use speed cameras. A 2023 state law allowed the city to run them on up to five more roadways besides Roosevelt Boulevard, the Inquirer reported. Within that limit, each expansion has also needed a City Council bill amending Chapter 12-3400 of the city code. Our records show four since 2024, and none drew a "no" vote:

The city has not said where the three new zones will go. WHYY reported that no installation timeline has been set. If the new corridors are not already covered by the state routes named in Bill 250770, past practice suggests another Council bill would come first.

A bill to lower the fines is still waiting. Jeffery Young Jr.'s Bill 260699 would cut speed camera fines to $50, $75 and $100. It has been in the Committee on Streets and Services since Sept. 17, 47 days as of today, with no hearing. It is not on the committee's Nov. 9 agenda.

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