Ann Arbor Times

A recent study reveals that minority drivers face a higher likelihood of being ticketed for speeding compared to their white counterparts, despite demonstrating similar driving behaviors. The research, published in the journal Science, utilized high-frequency location data to measure speed and location, showing that police officers are 33% more likely to issue speeding violations to minority drivers. Additionally, these drivers faced fines that were on average 34% more expensive.

The study was conducted using data from Lyft drivers in Florida between 2017 and 2020. Justin Holz, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy, collaborated with colleagues from multiple institutions to link real-time GPS data from drivers' phones with government records of speeding violations and demographic information inferred from voter registration data and photos submitted by drivers to Lyft.

Holz stated that this approach allowed researchers to observe behavior before any interaction with police, thus isolating the effect of race on the likelihood of being stopped and the penalties imposed. The study's findings suggest that the observed racial disparities in ticketing and fines are not due to statistical discrimination, as white and minority drivers have similar rates of driving violations and accidents. Instead, the results indicate a potential bias or prejudice among some police officers against minority drivers.

Holz commented, “With no other justifications for the unequal treatment, we concluded that at least some police officers are racially profiling because they prefer to enforce the law when a driver belongs to a racial or ethnic minority.”

While the study's scope was limited, analyzing only about 1,400 citations, it highlights persistent issues of racial profiling in traffic enforcement. Researchers suggest that the use of automated technologies, such as speed cameras, could help mitigate selective enforcement.

The findings also raise concerns about the implications for auto insurance rates, which generally increase with speeding citations. The authors propose that incorporating racial considerations into the relationship between citations and insurance rates could mitigate the impact of racial profiling.