My friend Peter Javsicas was a father, a community organizer, a transportation advocate, and my co-conspirator in organizing a 2014 PenTrans event on speed cameras. In 2017, while walking at 16th and JFK Boulevard in the middle of the day, Peter was killed on the sidewalk by an out of control minivan just outside one of Philadelphia’s busiest train stations. In 2018, the state legislature passed the first pilot program for speed cameras in active work zones and on Roosevelt Boulevard, the culmination of a campaign that Peter was no small part of.

Forty thousand Americans needlessly die each year from crashes on our roadways. This rate of traffic crashes is not normal — it’s 4x the rate of the United Kingdom and Japan. In Philadelphia, you are 3x as likely to die in a crash as New York City. Proven inexpensive safety technologies–speed cameras, red light cameras, intelligent speed assistance, parking protected bike lanes, and hit and run alert systems–save lives but they are illegal in most of the United States. But thanks to the work of many good people, including Peter, we’ve proven that legislative action can save lives. Peer reviewed analysis shows that the Roosevelt Boulevard speed cameras authorized in 2018 saved approximately one life each month relative to other Philadelphia roads by changing motorist behavior. But there’s much more work to do.

Outside of PA SAFE ROADS PAC, Jason is the President of Arcadia Land Company, a real estate developer of walkable communities.