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High-frequency location data show that race affects citations and fines for speeding
Pradhi Aggarwal1, Alec Brandon2, Ariel Goldszmidt3
1Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|March 27, 2025
Summary
Racial or ethnic minority rideshare drivers in Florida receive more speeding tickets and pay higher fines than white drivers, even at the same speed. This suggests racial bias may be a factor in traffic enforcement.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Sociology
- Transportation Studies
Background:
- Existing research indicates racial disparities in law enforcement encounters, with minorities facing harsher penalties than white individuals.
- The specific causes and implications of these disparities, particularly in traffic stops, remain less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of driver race on the likelihood of receiving speeding citations and associated fines.
- To explore potential underlying causes of racial disparities in traffic enforcement, moving beyond simple correlations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-frequency location data from 222,838 rideshare drivers in Florida.
- Analyzed 19.3 million location pings to compare speeding citations and fines between drivers of different races.
- Controlled for factors such as traveling speed and examined accident and reoffense rates.
Main Results:
- Racial or ethnic minority drivers were 24–33% more likely to be cited for speeding compared to white drivers.
- Minority drivers paid 23–34% more in speeding fines than white drivers, controlling for speed.
- Accident and reoffense rates did not explain the observed disparities in citations and fines.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that racial bias, rather than driving behavior or history, underlies disparities in speeding citations and fines.
- This study highlights potential systemic bias within traffic enforcement against racial and ethnic minorities.
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