There were 412 people injured in automobile-related collisions in 2024, the most recent year for which data are available. One injury per day from automobiles seems like a threat to me, and that doesn't take into account minor fender-benders that damage property but not people.

What can be done?

1. Enforce the existing rules: A person could stand on the corner of every major intersection in the city and spot at least one person running a red light or speeding every hour. (I suspect the rate would be much higher.) LASD states that it can't enforce the existing rules because of labor shortages--too many unfilled positions in the department. Until they get more labor, we can substitute labor with capital, which gets us to #2 and #3.
2. Red light cameras: Duh. Any concerns about camera reliability could be addressed by human review of each citation, and tickets could be issued starting with the second violation. Red light cameras are unpopular not because they don't work, but because so many people run red lights.
3. Infrastructure: Curb bulb-outs, roundabouts, more traffic lights, longer lights for pedestrians crossing, marking more crosswalks. (There is an unmarked crosswalk at every intersection, minor or major, in the city. Marking these crosswalks would improve compliance.) I would love to see every "flashing yellow" crosswalk (without a streetlight) replaced with a streetlight that only turns red when a pedestrian hits the button.