Ronnie Dunn
Associate Professor Of Urban Studies, Cleveland State University
Key Findings
- Black drivers disproportionately received more traffic tickets than their counterparts that were White or from another minority group.
- Black drivers, accounting for approximately 31% of motorists, received 58% of traffic tickets.
- White drivers, accounting for almost 50% of motorists, received 36% of traffic tickets.
- Blacks are more than 2.5 times more likely to be ticketed than Whites.
- Members of other racial groups are approximately 1.3 times more likely to be ticketed than Whites.
Description
In the article, “Measuring Racial Disparities in Traffic Ticketing within Large Urban Jurisdiction,” Dunn examines the impact of race on traffic ticket violations. This issue calls into question the use of racial profiling by police officers to target minorities. To conduct their study, the researchers used data from the Cleveland Police Department’s traffic ticket database, which includes nearly 183,000 records, and data from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, which kept records of 3M+ vehicle trips each day in 13 counties during 2000. The authors also used data from the 2000 U.S. Census. The results found that Black drivers disproportionately received more traffic tickets than their counterparts that were White or from another minority group. Black drivers, accounting for approximately 31% of motorists, received 58% of traffic tickets. White drivers, accounting for nearly 50% of motorists, received only 36% of traffic tickets. Blacks are more than 2.5 times more likely to be ticketed than Whites. Members of other racial groups are approximately 1.3 times more likely to be ticketed than Whites. In conclusion, the researchers note the need for further research to determine whether this discrepancy is a result of biased traffic enforcement or racial profiling.