Unequal Protection: Race, Socioeconomic Status, and the Geography of Fatal Pedestrian and Bicyclist Collisions in California

Gibbons, Joseph; Appleyard, Bruce S.; Honey, Megan; Ahangarfabrik, Nell

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Unequal Protection: Race, Socioeconomic Status, and the Geography of Fatal Pedestrian and Bicyclist Collisions in California

2025-07-01
By Gibbons, Joseph ; Appleyard, Bruce S. ; Honey, Megan

File Language:

English

Details

Creators:

Gibbons, Joseph ; Appleyard, Bruce S. ; Honey, Megan ; Ahangarfabrik, Nell
Corporate Creators:

Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety (CPBS) Tier-1 University Transportation Center (UTC) ; University of New Mexico
Corporate Contributors:

United States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program ; United States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
Subject/TRT Terms:
Publication/ Report Number:

24SDSU04
Resource Type:

Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:

United States ; California
Edition:

Final Report
Corporate Publisher:

Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety (CPBS) Tier-1 University Transportation Center (UTC)
Abstract:

This study investigates the persistent racial and socioeconomic disparities in fatal pedestrian and bicycle collisions across California. Leveraging a rich dataset the authors explore whether neighborhood socio-economic status (SES) mitigates fatality risk and whether this protective effect extends equally across racial and ethnic groups. Using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs), the analysis controls for a range of built environment features, road conditions, and demographic characteristics to isolate the impact of SES and race/ethnicity on collision outcomes. The results reveal that while higher neighborhood SES is generally associated with reduced risk of fatal collisions, this benefit is disproportionately realized by White cyclists and pedestrians. In contrast, Black and Hispanic individuals do not experience comparable improvements in safety, and for some groups, such as Black cyclists and Asian pedestrians, SES has no statistically significant protective effect.
Format:

PDF
Funding:

69A3552348336
Download URL:

https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/93233/dot_93233_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 824.32 KB]
Collection(s):

University Transportation Centers
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:b70b561ff22ecbea515879b2eee8b79137a436d74fce60b1524692a91eb43c7fb19f444a21b0c5afde929dee0f871adbd8e3b4896d94428c1a1fba60b26dcb54

File Language:

English

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