DPA Research and Policy Virtual Seminar: Stacey Sutton & Nebiyou Tilahun
March 12, 2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Red Light and Speeding Camera Tickets: Analyzing the Equity and Efficacy of Chicago’s Automated Enforcement Program
12 PM CST
Stacey Sutton and Nebiyou Tilahun
The City of Chicago currently has one of the largest and longest operating automated traffic enforcement systems in the country. Given the current public debates regarding racial bias associated with the discretion of law enforcement agents, fully automated enforcement systems, such as red-light and speeding cameras, have been heralded unbiased mechanisms for addressing traffic compliance. In this study, we focus on two distinct yet overlapping concerns -- equity and public safety -- associated with Chicago’s automated ticketing program. Drawing on over 2.7 million camera tickets and 438 cameras (2016-2019), we first analyze the socio-spatial distribution of tickets, fines, fees, and forfeitures, then analyze the safety profile of speeding cameras, specifically. We find camera tickets and the attendant economic burden are disproportionately borne by low-income and Black households, which can be partially explained by the pre-existing racial segregation and disinvestment. Regarding public safety our findings are more heartening. Across the city, the number of crashes decline, on average, relative to what we would expect had no speeding camera been installed.
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Date posted
Mar 8, 2021
Date updated
Mar 8, 2021