A new analysis from researchers at Boston University and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reveals that Black and Hispanic Americans face far greater risks of dying in traffic crashes than White or Asian Americans—especially when accounting for how far people actually travel on foot, by bike, or in cars. The study reports that Black Americans “had the highest traffic fatality rate per mile traveled and across all modes,” followed by Hispanics, Whites, and Asians.
The disparities are especially stark for walking and cycling. White Americans biked nearly four times the distance of Black Americans, yet Black cyclists died “at more than 4 times the rate (4.5) per mile cycling.” For pedestrians, Black Americans experienced deaths “at more than twice the rate (2.2) per mile walking.” Even in cars, the risk remained elevated, with nearly twice the fatality rate per mile traveled.
Researchers point to structural forces shaping these inequities. Matthew Raifman notes, “We have created a system where walking and cycling are more dangerous than driving, and where Black and Hispanic Americans are at greater risk of fatality per mile traveled.” He adds that these disparities must be understood within a transportation system “that suffers from racial bias—from the placement of roads, to traffic stops, to the way that ride-hail applications pair riders with drivers.”
Study coauthor Ernani Choma emphasizes the health stakes, saying that chronic diseases disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic Americans could improve with more physical activity, yet “each time a Black American takes a one-mile cycling trip, the fatality risk is 4.5 times the risk of a White American.”
See: “Racial disparities in traffic fatalities much wider than previously known” (June 9, 2022)