In the realm of ticketing and imposing fines for driving infractions, a recent study uncovers undeniable prejudice against minority groups.
The study, featured in the journal Science and built on innovative utilization of high-frequency location data to analyze position and velocity, reveals that law enforcement was 33% more inclined to issue speeding tickets to minority drivers compared to their white equivalents, imposing fines that are 34% higher. This discovery comes despite no noticeable disparities in speeding patterns or traffic infractions.
The researchers aimed to investigate the complete scope of racial profiling in the application of speed regulations and collaborated with the rideshare service Lyft. The data set comprised Lyft drivers in Florida from 2017 to 2020.
Justin Holz, assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy, along with colleagues from various institutions, correlated high-frequency location data (GPS signals from a driver’s mobile device) of motorists with official government records on their speeding infractions and assessments of their race or ethnicity. These assessments are derived from a model connecting self-reported details of the 45.7% of drivers registered as voters in Florida to a photograph submitted by each driver when applying to drive for Lyft.
The researchers assert that, to their knowledge, this is the inaugural study to compile such a dataset. Previous investigations had indicated that racial minorities are frequently subjected to more severe consequences during police apprehensions, but it has been challenging to ascertain whether such instances represented racial profiling due to the ambiguity surrounding the events leading to the stop.
“By scrutinizing comprehensive Lyft data—including driver velocity and location—we could discern behavior prior to any police engagement,” Holz stated. “This enabled us to isolate the impact of race on both the probability of being stopped and the sanctions enacted.”
Holz emphasizes that the rates of accidents and reoffending among white and minority drivers are statistically similar, implying that statistical discrimination does not underpin evidence of racial profiling. Instead, he posits that it indicates bias or hostility from law enforcement towards minority drivers.
“With no other valid explanations for the unequal treatment, we deduced that at least some law enforcement officials are engaging in racial profiling, as they appear to prefer enforcing the law against a driver from a racial or ethnic minority,” Holz expressed.
Among the constraints of the study: Lyft drivers are motivated to evade traffic violations, making the sample less likely to speed. Thus, the analysis encompasses around 1,400 speeding citations, which confines the breadth of analyses—although researchers could expand upon this work.
Regarding suggestions, the authors propose that suitably placed automated systems, such as speeding cameras, might aid in diminishing selective enforcement.
Moreover, given that auto insurance premiums often increase when drivers receive speeding citations and the findings indicate that such citations are not impartial to drivers’ race, integrating race considerations in the correlation between citations and insurance rates could reduce the consequences of racial profiling.
