A recent presentation about the Speed Camera Pilot Program to the Board of Supervisors Safety and Security Committee revealed a bevy of successes, and a plan for expansion to take place soon. The pilot, which initially launched in February 2023, reduced the average speed in nearly every test location, thus improving safety in each of the impacted school zones.
About the Speed Camera Program
Slowing down drivers and improving traffic safety are the objectives of the Speed Camera program, which includes the installation of photo monitoring devices (speed cameras) in school zones. There are currently nine cameras operational throughout the county. View the locations online.
Following the pilot’s success, countywide photo speed enforcement will move forward in two phases. Phase 1, which will begin over the next few months, will include 50 additional photo speed enforcement cameras distributed between school and work zones. The location of the first 10 cameras are:
- Belvedere Elementary School
- Cardinal Forest Elementary School
- Chantilly High School
- Edison High School
- South Lakes High School/Langston Hughes Middle School/Terraset Elementary School (Shared)
- Marshall High School
- McLean High School
- Mount Vernon HS/Riverside Elementary School (Shared)
- Robinson SS/Oak View Elementary School (Shared)
- Stone Middle School
The remaining 40 cameras will be installed throughout the rest of year. Updates on camera locations will be posted online as they are available.
Phase 2 in FY 2027 will add 30 more cameras for school zones.
Data suggests that school zone speeding is prevalent and cameras are effective. In pre-pilot surveys, it was noted that thousands of drivers exceeded the speed limit by more than 10 mph during a sample period in the tested school zones, and the county wished to take action to make these areas safer for pedestrians and drivers alike. The ultimate goal is to change driver behaviors to keep Fairfax County residents safe.
Pilot Success
The presentation given to the Safety and Security Committee highlighted several challenges that were encountered during the pilot, with updates on how each of those problems were overcome. Police also shared data about the speeds recorded during the pilot, the number of citations issued and paid, and the average change in speed for each camera location.
- 71% of the citations issued were to drivers exceeding the posted speed limit by 10-14 mph. 7% cited were going in excess of 20 mph of the school zone speed limits.
- 75% of the citations were pre-paid without going through the court system.
- Average speeds in the pilot areas reduced by as much as 27% from pre-pilot speeds recorded.
School Bus Cameras
In addition to the speed cameras in school zones, cameras will also be added to 50 Fairfax County Public Schools school bus arms, with enforcement for that program starting soon.
The goal is "to make sure we use technology in every way we can to better protect our students by changing driver behavior," says Board of Supervisors chairman Jeffrey C. McKay. "Make sure you remember to stop in both directions, unless separated by a median, when you encounter a stopped school bus unloading and loading children. Refusing to stop is a criminal offense."
Fifty buses spaced throughout the county will be outfitted with cameras for the pilot program, which will be similarly validated and prosecuted in partnership with our Police Department and courts.
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