The study released on June 6, 2024, explores the racial composition of road users and the corresponding rates of traffic citations and police stops. The research reveals a disproportionate rate of citations for moving violations among Black drivers through both speed camera enforcement and police stops. This finding challenges the neutrality of police traffic stops and suggests a racial bias in enforcement practices.
Utilizing Global Positioning System datasets from mobile phones, the study estimates the racial composition of road users based on data from their respective Census block groups. The dataset includes approximately 46 million trips within the Chicago metropolitan region. The research examines the relationship between camera-issued tickets and the racial composition of drivers compared to police stops for traffic citations.
The findings indicate that Black drivers are more likely to receive tickets from automated speed cameras and to be stopped for moving violations on roads, regardless of the proportion of White drivers present. However, this correlation decreases as the proportion of White drivers on the road increases. Notably, citation rates measured by cameras align more closely with the racial composition of road users at camera-equipped locations than do stops by police officers.
This study contributes significantly to understanding racial disparities in moving violation stops and has implications for policy interventions and social justice reforms.
