Measure description
The Percentage of Citations for the Top Five Causes of Collisions is a measure of the percentage of total traffic citations that are given out for the top causes of collisions. The Number of Citations for the Top Five Causes of Collisions measures the total number of citations for the same causes. Both measures are key output indicators of the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD)’s progress in preventing collisions to further the City’s Vision Zero initiative.
Why the measure is important
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, and failing to yield while turning.
The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) commits to issuing at least half of traffic citations for these five violations.
Enforcement is a key aspect of the Vision Zero Safe Systems approach. Tracking the Percentage and Number of Citations for the Top Five Causes of Collisions provides the public, elected officials, and City staff with a current snapshot of SFPD’s progress in this area.
The interactive charts below present the Percentage and Number of Citations for the Top Five Causes of Collisions.
Percentage and number of "Focus on the Five" citations
The top chart’s legend is below:
- Y-axis: Percentage of total traffic citations that are for the top 5 causes of collisions
- X-axis: Calendar years
The bottom chart’s legend is below:
- Y-axis: Number of citations by calendar month
- X-axis: Calendar years
How performance is measured
The percentage of “Focus on the Five” citations is calculated using the following methodology:
Monthly total “Focus on the Five” citations divided by the total citations issued.
The number of “Focus on the Five” citations is calculated using the following methodology:
Monthly total “Focus on the Five” citations.
Police officers issue both virtual and handwritten citations. 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 first chart above.
Data
All “Focus on the Five” citations data come from SFPD’s website. “Focus on the Five” citations data are reported with a two-month lag. For example, May’s data will be available at the end of July.
Additional information
- View the SFPD’s monthly Traffic Stats reports on "Focus on the Five.”
- View the SFPD's police district maps and learn about the citywide Traffic Company.
- View the Vision Zero SF website and monthly summary memos.
- View the Vision Zero website’s page on Enforcing Traffic Laws.
- View Traffic Crash data on DataSF.
- Read the Controller's Office 2017 report about San Francisco's "Focus on the Five" strategy
City Performance Scorecards
This page is part of the City Performance Scorecards.
Return to the Transportation Scorecard.
Return to the City Performance Scorecards Home Page.