North Carolina Highway Traffic Study, 2000-2001

This study investigated whether the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) practiced racial profiling. The NCSHP provided data on all vehicular stops (Parts 1 and 2), written warnings (Part 3), and citations (Part 4) its officers issued in 2000. This included data on what the stops or tickets were for, the race, sex, and age of the driver, and the make, model, and year of the car being driven. Data on accidents in 2000 (Part 5), also obtained from the NCSHP, were used to examine whether there were racial disparities in unsafe driving practices. These data included information about what caused the accident and the race, sex, and age of the driver. The NCSHP also supplied data on all officers who worked for the NCSHP in 2000 (Part 6), including their race, age, and rank. The data in Part 6 can be linked to the data in Parts 3 and 4. In addition, two surveys of North Carolina drivers were conducted to gather information on reported typical driving behaviors that may influence the probability of being stopped, and to gather information about stops conducted by law enforcement agencies across the state. One was conducted using a sample of North Carolina drivers who had recently renewed their licenses (Part 7), and the other used a sample of North Carolina drivers who were ticketed for speeding between June 1, 1999, and June 1, 2000 (Part 8).