JUNE 2021
®
An Analysis
of Trafc Fatalities
by Race and Ethnicity
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
1
Acknowledgments
Richard Retting, former Director of Safety & Research at Sam Schwartz Consulting, conducted the
literature review and data analysis for this report. Review and input were provided by Sam Schwartz’s
Moriah Richardson, Transportation Engineer; Hugh Smith, Senior Associate & Director of Community
Outreach; and Shameka Turner, Outreach Liaison. Richardson, Smith, and Turner serve on Sam Schwartz’
Value Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity (VIBE) Council, which is tasked with integrating the principles of
inclusion, belonging and equity across all dimensions of the rm’s work.
Editorial direction and review were provided by GHSA staff.
Creative by Winking Fish
Published June 2021
Contents
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 2
KEY FINDINGS OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH .................................................. 3
ANALYSIS OF NATIONWIDE FATALITY DATA BY RACE ....................... 7
CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................ 18
ACTIONS FOR ADDRESSING EQUITY IN TRAFFIC SAFETY .............20
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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INTRODUCTION
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is a national leader in trafc safety and is
committed, through leadership, culture change, training and accountability, to contribute to reforms
that help achieve racial justice and equity. As part of this effort, GHSA contracted with Sam Schwartz
Consulting to review relevant research and data that provide a better understanding of the impact of
fatal trafc crashes on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and identify actions states and
communities can take to advance equity in trafc safety.
The goal of this research is to support ongoing efforts by GHSA and its members, the State Highway
Safety Ofces (SHSO), who are tasked with addressing speeding, impaired driving and other behavioral
safety issues that contribute to trafc crashes. SHSOs also work with their engineering counterparts to
address the role of infrastructure in trafc crashes. The combined focus on behavioral and infrastructure
countermeasures is intended to prevent injuries, save lives and support equitable outcomes. This report
is part of a broader GHSA focus on equity and builds on the association’s September 2020 news release
that outlined steps GHSA and the SHSOs and their partners can take to help ght racism in trafc
enforcement and more equitably address highway safety needs.
1
This report includes the following:
1. Key ndings of previous research
2. Analysis of nationwide fatality data by race for the most recent ve-year period (2015-2019)
3. Conclusions
4. Actions for consideration by the SHSOs and/or additional research GHSA may wish to conduct based
on the conclusions
This report is meant to inform decisions regarding trafc enforcement and safety education. The data
analysis shows overrepresentation of minorities in crashes, including those involving fatalities. Minority
groups experience historic racism, socioeconomic status, and access to housing, education, health care,
employment that all have public health and transportation impacts.
2
Therefore, overrepresentation of
minorities in crashes should not be viewed simply as a function of race.
A note regarding language that refers to race: Race is a sensitive subject, and a variety of terms are
used to refer to race. Original writing in this report follows the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook section
on race-related coverage, which does not capitalize “white” when referring to race.
3
GHSA uses the
terminology Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), which has become more widely accepted
over the past year.
4
The race-oriented terminology that appears in the previous research discussed in
this report has not been changed; it is the original terminology used by the source’s researchers. GHSA
and the authors of this report recognize that language that refers to race evolves over time and can
inadvertently be offensive in certain contexts.
1 hps://www.ghsa.org/resources/news-releases/Equity-In-Trac-Enforcement20
2 hps://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/racism-disparies/index.html
3 hps://www.apstylebook.com/race-related-coverage
4 hps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/bipoc-what-does-it-mean-and-where-does-it-come-from/ar-BB169qSg
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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KEY FINDINGS OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH
Numerous studies have examined the extent to which BIPOC are disproportionately represented in
trafc crashes, as well as characteristics of these crashes. The studies cited and summarized below do
not represent a complete and thorough literature review on this topic, but rather provide a brief, high-
level summary of key research ndings that provide specic and relatively recent information regarding
the extent to which BIPOC are disproportionately involved in trafc crashes.
Motor Vehicle Trafc-Related Pedestrian Deaths – U.S., 2001–2010
(Naumann and Beck, 2013)
To determine trafc-related pedestrian death rates per 100,000 by sex, age group and race/ethnicity,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed 2001–2010 data from the National Vital
Statistics System (NVSS). Race/ethnicity was coded into ve mutually exclusive categories: American
Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacic Islander, Black, Hispanic and white. Findings of the study include:
●
American Indian/Alaskan Native populations, among both males (7.73) and females (2.22), had the
highest annualized, age-adjusted trafc-related pedestrian death rates of all races/ethnicities.
●
Hispanic and Black males had the next highest death rates (3.93 and 3.73, respectively), followed by
Asian/Pacic Islander males (1.96). Asian/Pacic Islander females had the second highest death rate
(1.46), followed by Black females (1.31) and Hispanic females (1.27).
●
Among both males (1.78) and females (0.79), white females had the lowest pedestrian death rates.
By urbanization level, among both males (2.90) and females (1.23), those living in large central
metropolitan areas had the highest pedestrian death rates.
●
For males ages 15–24, 25–34, 35–44 and 45–54, racial/ethnic disparity patterns generally were
similar. In each of these age groups, the highest death rates were among American Indian/Alaskan
Native men (range: 8.13–11.72), followed by Black men (2.29–5.97) and Hispanic men (2.61–4.60).
White men (range: 1.66–2.28) and Asian/Pacic Islander men (0.70–1.36) had the lowest death rates.
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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●
For males aged 75–84 and ≥85 years, the death rate for Hispanic (11.05 and 14.70, respectively) and
Asians/Pacic Islander men (12.30 and 20.53, respectively) were statistically greater than the death
rates for white men (3.61 and 5.41, respectively) and Black men (6.78 and 6.95, respectively).
●
American Indian/Alaskan Native females also had the highest death rates for each of the age
groups 15–24, 25–34, 35–44 and 45–54 years. Across those age groups, the death rate for
American Indian/Alaskan Native women ranged from 2.29 to 4.17, while the rate was 0.96–1.88 for
Black women (range: 0.96–1.88). Hispanic women (range: 0.62–1.15), white women (range: 0.68–0.86)
and Asian/Pacic Islander (range: 0.55–0.97) women had similar death rates.
●
For females aged 75–84 and ≥85 years, the death rate for Hispanic women (5.33 and 4.03,
respectively) and Asian/Pacic Islander women (8.82 and 6.87, respectively) were statistically
greater than the death rates for white women (2.06 and 2.02, respectively) and Black women (1.94
and 1.36, respectively).
Fatal Injuries Among Children by Race and Ethnicity — United States, 1999–2002
(Bernard et. al, 2018)
This study reviewed fatal injury data from death certicates for 1999-2002 reported through the CDC’s
National Vital Statistics System and found that:
●
American Indian/Alaska Native and Black infants aged <1 year had consistently higher total injury
death rates than other racial/ethnic populations. Both populations had more than twice the rate of
injury death compared with white infants. American Indian/Alaska Native infants had the highest rate
of motor vehicle trafc death.
●
American Indian/Alaska Native children ages 1-9 and 10-19 had the highest rate of trafc death.
Ethnicity and Alcohol-Related Fatalities: 1990-1994
(Voas et al., 2000)
This study used data from the National Center for Health Statistics and Fatality Analysis Reporting System
(FARS) to compare the percentage of each ethnic group’s fatal crashes that were alcohol-related (dened
as “at least one active road user involved had a BAC > 0.00”). The following ndings were reported:
●
Native American populations had the highest percentage of alcohol-involved driver, passenger and
pedestrian fatalities of any ethnic group.
●
Mexican American populations had the highest alcohol-related fatality rates among all four types of
road users – drivers, passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
●
African American people generally had the same rate of alcohol involvement for drivers and
passengers as Caucasian American people, but the former had a slightly higher rate for pedestrians
and cyclists.
●
Among Hispanic people, Cuban American people stood out for their low percentage of alcohol-
related driver, passenger and pedestrian fatalities.
●
Asian-Pacic Islander people had distinctly lower rates of alcohol-related fatalities for all categories
of road users.
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Analysis of Pedestrian Injury, Built Environment, Travel Activity and Social Equity
(McGowan, 2021)
In October 2020, the Oregon Transportation Commission adopted its Strategic Action Plan which
identies equity as one of three priorities. In support of this initiative, the Oregon Department of
Transportation prepared a technical memo highlighting the key ndings of active research being
performed to better understand factors that result in disparate pedestrian injury outcomes for different
sociodemographic groups. Key ndings include the following:
●
Using FARS data, age-based rates were calculated for each race and ethnicity showing that BIPOC
experience a disproportionate fatal injury burden with Black people experiencing the greatest disparity.
The next greatest disparity was found among American Indian and Alaskan Native peoples, followed
by Latinx people. Asian people also have a higher rate of pedestrian injury than the state average.
●
Analysis of pedestrian injuries by Oregon Census tract shows that in places where low-income
populations and BIPOC are more concentrated there are measurably higher levels of vehicle trafc
and higher speed arterials. People in these communities walk, take transit and bicycle to work at
higher rates than communities with fewer low-income people and BIPOC. In addition to this work
travel behavior, communities with a greater concentration of poverty and BIPOC have more transit
stops and are likely to use transit for non-work travel more than communities with fewer transit
stops. Combined, the higher walking activity in areas with more trafc moving at higher speeds is
likely precipitating the pedestrian fatal injury rate disparity between tracts.
Socioeconomic Differences in Road Trafc Injuries During Childhood and Youth:
A Closer Look at Different Kinds of Road Users
(Hasselberg, et. al, 2001)
Beyond race, socioeconomic status can inuence the risk of motor vehicle crash involvement. This study
investigated socioeconomic differences in trafc injuries among Swedish children and adolescents, and
whether this applies to the same extent to all categories of road users. This was a closed population-
based cohort study that used the 1985 Swedish Population and Housing Census. All children aged
0-15 years of age in 1985 (approximately 1.5 million subjects) were monitored for ve categories of
road trafc injuries over eight years and divided into seven socioeconomic groups based on parental
socioeconomic status. Odds ratios and population attributable risks were computed using the children of
intermediate and high-level salaried employees as the reference group. The researchers determined:
●
The injury risks of pedestrians and bicyclists were 20% to 30% higher among the children of manual
workers than those of intermediate and high-level salaried employees.
●
Socioeconomic differences were greatest for injuries involving motorized vehicles: mopeds,
motorcycles and cars.
●
Socioeconomic differences in road trafc injuries are substantial.
●
Socioeconomic injury-risk differentials increase when young people use motorized vehicles.
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Vision Zero Chicago: Action Plan 2017-2019
(City of Chicago, 2017)
The City of Chicago’s 2017 Vision Zero Action Plan included a reference to public health data that show
trafc crashes affect Chicago communities unequally. As illustrated below, Chicagoans who live in areas
of high economic hardship have an increased risk of being in a severe crash and die in trafc crashes
more often and at a higher rate than other city residents.
Figure 1:
Page 17 of
Chicago’s
Vision Zero
Action Plan
17
VISION ZERO DATA ANALYSIS
Vision
Zero
Chicago
Chicagoans living in communities of high economic hardship die in trafc crashes
more often and at a higher rate than other Chicagoans.
Chicagoans of color are more at risk of dying in a trafc crash than white Chicagoans.
BLACK LATINO WHITE
5.6
3.5
2.5
Citywide Average: 3.7
TRAFFIC CRASH FATALITY RATE* BY RACE,
CITY OF CHICAGO, 2010-2014
DISTRIBUTION OF FATALITIES BY RACE,
CITY OF CHICAGO, 2010-2014
LATINO
26%
WHITE
25%
DISTRIBUTION OF FATALITIES BY ECONOMIC
HARDSHIP LEVEL, CITY OF CHICAGO, 2010-2014
HIGH
47%
LOW
18%
MEDIUM
35%
BLACK
49%
Economic Hardship Index
The Chicago Department of Public Health creates a relative index score comparing Chicago communities by
Economic Hardship. High Economic Hardship Communities experience higher rates of unemployment, poverty,
number of dependents, and crowded housing, and lower per-capita income and educational attainment.
TRAFFIC CRASH FATALITY RATE* BY ECONOMIC
HARDSHIP LEVEL, CITY OF CHICAGO, 2010-2014
HIGH
4.8
3.2
1.6
Citywide Average: 3.7
MEDIUM
LOW
ECONOMIC HARDSHIP LEVEL
*Fatality
rate is per
100,000
residents.
Black Chicagoans are more than twice as likely to be killed in a trafc crash than white Chicagoans,
and almost half of all fatal crash victims are black.
*Fatality
rate is per
100,000
residents.
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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ANALYSIS OF NATIONWIDE FATALITY DATA BY RACE
To further examine whether BIPOC are disproportionately represented in fatal trafc crashes, analysis
was conducted using FARS and population data to compute trafc fatalities per 100,000 population by
race and ethnicity for the following categories of trafc deaths:
●
Total trafc deaths
●
Daytime total trafc deaths
●
Nighttime total trafc deaths
●
Speeding-related trafc deaths
●
Trafc deaths involving police pursuit
●
Pedestrian deaths
●
Pedestrian hit and run deaths
●
Bicyclist deaths
●
Nighttime bicyclist deaths
Because approximately 75% of nationwide pedestrian fatalities occur at night, a separate analysis was
not conducted to compute nighttime pedestrian deaths. In FARS, nighttime lighting condition is coded as
Dark (versus Daylight, Dawn or Dusk).
FARS data were obtained for the most recent ve calendar years, 2015-2019. FARS reports race and
ethnicity for fatal crash victims based on information obtained from death certicates. The following
race categories are included in FARS using Ofce of Management and Budget guidelines:
●
American Indian, Non-Hispanic/Unknown
●
Asian, Non-Hispanic/Unknown
●
Black, Non-Hispanic
●
Hispanic
●
Multiple Races, Non-Hispanic/Unknown
●
Pacic Islander, Non-Hispanic/Unknown
●
White, Non-Hispanic
●
All Other Non-Hispanic or Race
Note that persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; all
other racial/ethnic groups are considered non-Hispanic.
Population estimates for these same race/Hispanic origin categories were obtained from the Kaiser
Family Foundation’s (KFF) analysis of population and demographic data. These data are based on
analysis of the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) and restricted to the civilian, non-
institutionalized population for whom ACS collects and reports poverty information. The ACS data cover
more than 97% of the total U.S. population reported by the Census Bureau. KFF data were obtained for
each year during the ve-year period, 2015-2019, and averaged.
0
30
60
90
120
150
145.6
American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
68.5
Black
58.1
Total
Population
55.2
White
51.1
Native
Hawaiian/
Other Pacific
Islander
46.9
Hispanic
15.3
Asian
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Figure 2 shows Total Trafc Deaths per 100,000
population by race and ethnicity.
●
Compared with all other racial groups,
American Indian/Alaskan Native persons had
a substantially higher per-capita rate of total
trafc fatalities.
●
Black persons had the second highest rate of
total trafc deaths.
●
White, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacic Islander,
and Hispanic persons had somewhat similar per-
capita rates of total trafc fatalities.
●
Compared with all other racial groups, Asian
persons had a substantially lower per-capita
rate of total trafc deaths.
Figure 2: Total Trafc Deaths
per 100,000 Population, U.S. 2015-2019
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
58.5
American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
29.3
White
27.6
Total
Population
25.2
Black
21.3
Native
Hawaiian/
Other Pacific
Islander
17.3
Hispanic
7.4
Asian
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Figure 3 shows Total Daytime Trafc Deaths per
100,000 population by race and ethnicity.
●
American Indian/Alaskan Native persons had the
highest per-capita rate of total daytime trafc
fatalities compared with all other racial groups,
but the differential was markedly less than for
total trafc deaths.
●
White persons had the second highest per-
capita rate of total daytime trafc fatalities
●
Black persons had the third highest per-capita
rate of total daytime trafc fatalities
●
Asian persons had a substantially lower per-
capita rate of involvement for total daytime
trafc deaths.
Figure 3: Total Daytime Trafc Deaths
per 100,000 Population, U.S. 2015-2019
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
75.6
American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
40.4
Black
28.0
Native
Hawaiian/
Other Pacific
Islander
27.7
Total
Population
27. 2
Hispanic
23.3
White
7.1
Asian
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Figure 4 shows Total Nighttime Trafc Deaths
per 100,000 population by race and ethnicity.
●
As with total trafc deaths, American Indian/
Alaskan Native persons had a substantially
higher per-capita rate of total nighttime trafc
fatalities compared with all other racial groups.
●
Also, as with total trafc deaths, Black persons
had the second highest rate of total nighttime
trafc deaths.
●
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacic Islander and
Hispanic persons had somewhat similar per-
capita rates of total nighttime trafc fatalities.
●
White persons had the second lowest per-capita
rate of total nighttime trafc fatalities.
●
Asian persons had a substantially lower per-
capita rate of involvement in total nighttime
trafc deaths.
Figure 4: Nighttime Trafc Deaths
per 100,000 Population, U.S. 2015-2019
0
10
20
30
40
50
42.8
American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
23.3
Native
Hawaiian/
Other Pacific
Islander
20.1
Black
15.5
Total
Population
13.9
White
13.8
Hispanic
3.8
Asian
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Figure 5 shows Speeding-Related Trafc Deaths
per 100,000 population by race and ethnicity.
●
Compared with all other racial groups,
American Indian/Alaskan Native persons had a
substantially higher per-capita rate of speeding-
related trafc fatalities.
●
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacic Islander and
Black persons had the second and third highest
rates of speeding-related trafc deaths,
respectively.
●
White and Hispanic persons had nearly identical
rates of speeding-related trafc fatalities.
●
Asian persons had a substantially lower per-
capita rate of involvement in speeding-related
trafc deaths.
Figure 5: Speeding-Related Trafc Deaths
per 100,000 Population, U.S. 2015-2019
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
2.2
American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
1.6
Black
1.0
Native
Hawaiian/
Other Pacific
Islander
0.6
Total
Population
0.6
Hispanic
0.4
White
0.1
Asian
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Figure 6 shows Trafc Deaths Involving Police
Pursuit per 100,000 population by race and
ethnicity. According to the FARS User Manual
Appendix C, trafc deaths involving police pursuit
include the driver who is the subject of the pursuit,
bystanders (other vehicle occupants, non-vehicle
occupants) and occupants of police vehicles.
●
American Indian/Alaskan Native and Black
persons had the rst and second highest per-
capita rate of trafc deaths involving police
pursuit, respectively.
●
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacic Islander persons
had the third highest per-capita rate of trafc
deaths involving police pursuit.
●
Hispanic and white persons had nearly identical
rates of trafc deaths involving police pursuit.
●
Asian persons had the lowest per-capita rate of
trafc deaths involving police pursuit.
Figure 6: Trafc Deaths involving Police Pursuit
per 100,000 Population, U.S. 2015-2019
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
30.7
American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
15.0
Black
9.8
Hispanic
9.6
Total
Population
7.4
Native
Hawaiian/
Other Pacific
Islander
7. 2
White
4.6
Asian
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Figure 7 shows Pedestrian Trafc Deaths per
100,000 population by race and ethnicity.
●
American Indian/Alaskan Native persons had
the highest per-capita rate of pedestrian trafc
deaths.
●
Black persons had the second highest per-
capita rate of pedestrian trafc deaths.
●
Hispanic, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacic
Islander and white persons had similar rates of
pedestrian trafc deaths.
●
Asian persons had the lowest per-capita rate of
pedestrian trafc deaths.
Figure 7: Pedestrian Trafc Deaths
per 100,000 Population, U.S. 2015-2019
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
7.6
American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
4.0
Black
2.3
Hispanic
2.0
Total
Population
1.8
Native
Hawaiian/
Other Pacific
Islander
1.2
White
0.7
Asian
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Figure 8 shows Pedestrian Hit and Run Trafc
Deaths per 100,000 population by race and
ethnicity.
●
The rank order for pedestrian hit and run deaths
by race was the same as for all pedestrian
trafc deaths with American Indian/Alaskan
Native persons having the highest per-capita
rate.
●
Black persons had the second highest per-
capita rate of hit and run pedestrian deaths
followed by Hispanic, Native Hawaiian/Other
Pacic Islander and white persons, respectively.
●
Asian persons had the lowest per-capita rate of
hit and run pedestrian deaths.
Figure 8: Pedestrian Hit & Run Trafc Deaths
per 100,000 Population, U.S. 2015-2019
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
2.1
American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
1.5
Black
1.3
Total
Population
1.2
Hispanic
1.2
White
0.6
Asian
0.4
Native
Hawaiian/
Other Pacific
Islander
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Figure 9 shows Bicyclist Trafc Deaths per
100,000 population by race and ethnicity.
●
American Indian/Alaskan Native persons had
the highest per-capita rate of bicyclist deaths,
but the differential was smaller than for other
categories of trafc deaths.
●
Black, Hispanic and white persons had similar
per-capita rates of bicyclist fatalities.
●
Asian and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacic
Islander persons had similar per-capita rates of
bicyclist fatalities.
●
Bicyclist trafc deaths is the only category for
which Asian persons did not have the lowest per-
capita fatality rate.
Figure 9: Bicyclist Trafc Deaths
per 100,000 Population, U.S. 2015-2019
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.1
American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
0.9
Black
0.7
Hispanic
0.6
Total
Population
0.5
White
0.2
Asian
0.2
Native
Hawaiian/
Other Pacific
Islander
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Figure 10 shows Nighttime Bicyclist Trafc
Deaths per 100,000 population by race and
ethnicity.
●
The rank order for nighttime bicyclist trafc
deaths by race was nearly identical to all
bicyclist trafc deaths.
●
American Indian/Alaskan Native persons had
the highest per-capita rate of nighttime bicyclist
deaths, but the differential was relatively small
compared to other categories of trafc deaths.
●
Black persons had the second highest per-
capita rate of nighttime bicyclist deaths
followed by Hispanic and white persons,
respectively.
●
Asian and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacic
Islander persons had the same per-capita rates
of nighttime bicyclist fatalities.
Figure 10: Nighttime Bicyclist Trafc Deaths
per 100,000 Population, U.S. 2015-2019
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
9.5
Native
Hawaiian/
Other Pacific
Islander
9.1
White
8.2
Total
Population
8.1
American
Indian/
Alaska
Native
7.0
Black
5.1
Hispanic
1.3
Asian
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Figure 11 shows Motorcycle Driver and Passenger
Deaths per 100,000 population by race/Hispanic
origin.
●
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacic Islander and
white persons, respectively, had the highest and
second highest per-capita rates of motorcycle
driver and passenger fatalities. The rates for
these two groups were nearly identical.
●
American Indian/Alaskan Native persons had the
third highest per-capita rate of motorcycle driver
and passenger deaths followed by Black and
Hispanic persons, respectively.
●
Asian persons had the lowest per-capita rate of
motorcycle driver and passenger deaths.
Figure 11: Motorcycle Driver and Passenger Deaths
per 100,000 Population, U.S. 2015-2019
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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CONCLUSIONS
It is clear from the review of previous research and from the analysis of 2015-2019 FARS data that BIPOC
are disproportionately represented in fatal trafc crashes. This disproportionate representation is a
signicant health disparity and represents a chronic public health issue in minority communities. Key
ndings from previous research indicate that:
●
When measured against all causes of death, motor vehicle trafc crashes account for
disproportionately large percentages of fatalities, particularly among Native American and Hispanic
persons.
●
Black children ages 4–15 had the highest rates of fatalities involving pedestrians and other people not
in vehicles as a percentage of all motor vehicle trafc fatalities.
●
American Indian/Alaskan Native persons have the highest annualized, age-adjusted trafc-related
pedestrian death rates of all races/ethnicities.
●
Native American persons were found to have the highest
percentage of alcohol-involved driver, passenger and
pedestrian fatalities of any ethnic group.
●
Census tracts where low-income and BIPOC populations are
more concentrated have measurably higher levels of vehicle
trafc and higher speed arterials.
●
Based on the research ndings from Chicago, people who
live in areas of high economic hardship have an increased
risk of being in a severe crash and die in trafc crashes more
often and at a higher rate than residents of more afuent
neighborhoods.
●
A Swedish study found the injury risk for pedestrians and bicyclists was 20% to 30% higher among
the children of manual workers than those of intermediate and high-level salaried employees,
indicating socioeconomic status can inuence the risk of motor vehicle crash involvement.
This nding may be related, in part, to differences in roadway design and trafc conditions in
neighborhoods inhabited by manual workers compared to neighborhoods where high-level salaried
employees reside and thus is applicable to the U.S.
Key ndings from the analysis of 2015-2019 FARS data:
●
Compared with all other racial groups, American Indian/Alaskan Native persons had a substantially
higher per-capita rate of total trafc fatalities.
●
Black persons had the second highest rate of total trafc deaths. This was true for total trafc
deaths, pedestrian trafc deaths and bicyclist trafc deaths.
●
Asian persons had the lowest per-capita rate of involvement for virtually all categories of trafc deaths.
●
White persons generally have lower trafc fatality rates than BIPOC. Motorcycle driver and passenger
deaths were the exception to this overall nding.
It is clear from the
review of previous
research and from the
analysis of 2015-2019
FARS data that BIPOC
are disproportionately
represented in fatal
trafc crashes.
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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When interpreting the disproportionate representation of BIPOC in motor vehicle crashes and trafc
fatalities, it must be recognized that ethnicity and race, to a certain degree, is intertwined with other
factors that affect crash risk, such as socioeconomic status and overall investments in crash prevention
where people live. This includes roadway infrastructure, trafc enforcement, community engagement
and trafc safety education.
Also, the response time and the quality of emergency medical care varies across communities in such a
way that these factors could affect fatality outcomes for crashes of similar severity and be intertwined
with race. Inequities in the health care system may contribute to the overrepresentation of BIPOC in
fatal trafc crashes. Because FARS includes fatalities that occur within 30 days of a crash, residents
of underserved communities that lack access to high-quality health care may be more likely than
residents of more afuent communities to die within 30 days of a crash. Likewise, inequities in health
care could contribute to the nding that Chicagoans who live in areas of high economic hardship have
an increased risk of being in a severe crash and die in trafc crashes more often and at a higher rate
than other city residents.
Regarding the FARS analysis of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities, race and ethnicity data for victims
of these crashes should not be equated to race and ethnicity data for drivers that strike people on foot
and bicycles. In addition, population estimates do not necessarily equate to exposure in terms of the
trafc environment. People of different races may have differing exposure to trafc crashes as vehicle
occupants, pedestrians and bicyclists. Therefore, population-based fatality rates do not account for
different racial groups’ actual exposure to trafc crashes.
The overrepresentation of BIPOC in nighttime crashes could reect disparities between the amount
of streetlight illumination provided in underserved communities compared with more afuent areas.
Additionally, ndings that show overrepresentation of BIPOC in fatal crashes highlight the need for
comprehensive efforts to address longstanding underlying inequities that contribute to this increased
risk of fatal crashes.
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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ACTIONS FOR ADDRESSING EQUITY
IN TRAFFIC SAFETY
BIPOC account for a larger proportion of trafc fatalities than expected based on their respective share
of the total population. Ensuring that resources are allocated to address pedestrian safety needs in
BIPOC communities is critical. States and communities have many options available to advance equity in
trafc safety, such as:
●
Prioritize planning and investment in infrastructure safety countermeasures in underserved/lower
socioeconomic communities and neighborhoods that have suffered from years of bias and
disinvestment.
●
Treat trafc crash involvement as a health disparity issue. As such, consider how public health
approaches to other health disparity issues, including mental health and poverty, may be useful in
addressing trafc crash prevention.
●
Ensure robust diverse representation in state/city transportation agency leadership positions and on
trafc safety committees tasked with developing and implementing state Strategic Highway Safety
Plans, Highway Safety Plans, Highway Safety Improvement Plans, Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety
Action Plans and other transportation-related plans.
●
Develop new, research-based interventions that prevent trafc crashes before they occur and/or
before enforcement activities are required.
●
Tailor and develop with BIPOC input safety education campaigns and outreach efforts to address the
needs and culture of BIPOC communities. This ensures these campaigns are culturally relevant, use
appropriate distribution channels/methods and are delivered by individuals who are representative
of the people they are attempting to reach. Additionally, these campaigns should raise awareness
and provide information to road users, community members, planners and engineers with the goal of
changing viewpoints or behaviors in order to improve safety.
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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●
Enforcement can be an effective measure to reduce crashes and improve trafc safety. However,
the relationship between BIPOC communities and law enforcement is frayed, with many BIPOC
communities questioning the motives and actions of law enforcement. Therefore, trafc enforcement
programs should only be implemented or altered with extensive engagement with the local BIPOC
community to consider if and how an equitable trafc enforcement program can be implemented in
their community.
●
Assess how current trafc enforcement approaches can exacerbate racial/socioeconomic issues
and work with stakeholders to identify and implement solutions. Automated trafc enforcement,
for example, supports the objective of providing consistent and unbiased enforcement of speeding,
red light running and other trafc violations without regard to driver race or socioeconomic status.
Choosing locations for camera enforcement is, of course, an important consideration, and members
of the BIPOC community should be included in the selection process.
Additional research needs that build upon the ndings of this report include:
●
Better public health data that could potentially shed more light on the extent to which BIPOC are
disproportionately represented in fatal trafc crashes, and whether certain subsets of BIPOC (e.g.,
specic races, genders, age groups) have especially high rates of involvement relative to their
population.
●
State level FARS data analysis to help account for concentrations of certain minority groups in
specic states. For example, approximately 52% of the total U.S. American Indian/Alaska Native
population resides in just six states – Alaska, Arizona, California, New Mexico, North Carolina and
Oklahoma.
●
A deeper understanding of the role of race in crash outcomes by examining the National Emergency
Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) database that collects State and Territorial EMS
injury and fatality data from 911 calls. Because injury data in NEMSIS is not limited to fatalities,
NEMSIS analysis could provide a broader examination of crash involvement by race.
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities by Race and Ethnicity | Governors Highway Safety Association
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Literature Review References
Bernard, S.J., Paulozzi, L.J., & Wallace, L.J.D. (2018). Fatal injuries among children by race and ethnicity —
United States, 1999–2002. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Vol. 56/No. SS-5.
City of Chicago. (2017). Vision Zero Chicago: Action plan 2017-2019. City of Chicago, IL.
Hasselberg, M., Laamme, L., & Weitoft, G.R. (2001). Socioeconomic differences in road trafc injuries
during childhood and youth: A closer look at different kinds of road user. Journal of Epidemiol Community
Health 2001; 55:858–862.
Hilton, J. (2006.) Race and ethnicity in fatal motor vehicle trafc crashes 1999 – 2004. (DOT HS 809 956)
Washington, DC: National Highway Trafc Safety Administration.
McGowan, M. (2021). Analysis of pedestrian injury, built environment, travel activity and social equity
[Technical Memo]. Salem, Oregon: Oregon Department of Transportation.
Naumann, R.B., & Beck, L.F. (2013). Motor vehicle trafc-related pedestrian deaths — United States,
2001–2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 62(15), 277-282.
Voas, R.B., Tippetts, A.S., &, Fisher, D.A. (2000). Ethnicity and alcohol-related fatalities: 1990-1994 (DOT
HS 809-068). Washington, DC.: National Highway Trafc Safety Administration.
www.ghsa.org
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of states, territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. GHSA provides leadership and representation
for the states and territories to improve traffic safety, influence national policy, enhance program management and
promote best practices. Its members are appointed by their Governors to administer federal and state highway
safety funds and implement state highway safety plans.
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