High-frequency location data show that race affects citations and fines for speeding

Prior research finds that in encounters with law enforcement minorities are punished more severely than white civilians. Less is known about the effect of race on encounters and its implications for research on racial profiling. Using high-frequency location data of rideshare Lyft drivers in Florida (N=222,838), we estimate the effect of driver race on citations and fines for speeding across 19,356,683 location pings. Compared to a white driver traveling the same speed, we find that racial/ethnic minority drivers are 24 to 33 percent more likely to be cited for speeding and pay 23 to 34 percent more money in fines. We find no evidence that accident and re-offense rates can explain these estimates, suggesting that underlying our results is an animus against minorities.