Posted on October 21, 2015

The Inequality of Who Gets Hit by Cars

Lindsey Cook, US News, October 19, 2015

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{snip} Native Americans, Hispanics and blacks are much more likely to die as pedestrians in traffic accidents than whites or Asian-Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Minorities may be more likely to live in urban areas where they would be crossing busy intersections more frequently. And alcohol use may play a role as well. But racial bias among drivers could also be part of the reason for these differences.

In a recent study, researchers dressed three white men and three black men in identical clothes, and had them walk the same way and exhibit the same mannerisms. {snip}

When a black man was waiting at the crosswalk, drivers were less likely to stop. {snip}

In addition to cars being less likely to stop, which could create more accidents, the researchers also posited that it would make minorities less likely to use the crosswalk because of past negative experiences, which would lead to more risky behavior at crosswalks such as crossing without a signal or not at a crosswalk.