New Harvard Traffic Study Finds Black Cyclists Die 4.5 Times More Often than White Cyclists

“The Center for Disease Control (CDC) considers increases in motor-vehicle safety one of the greatest public health achievements of the 21st century, with the annual death rate declining from 18 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled to 1.7 per 100 million VMT in 1997, a 90% decrease. However, traffic-related tragedies are still prevalent, particularly in major cities such as New York, and new research has found that there are significant disparities in the distribution of traffic fatalities between ethnic groups in the United States.” Glenn A. Herman, NYC Bike Accident Lawyer.

The 2022 study was conducted by researchers at Harvard University and Boston University and was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which is the official journal of the American College of Preventive Medicine and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research and focuses on prevention research, teaching, practice, and policy.

Researchers used the 2017 National Household Travel Survey to estimate person-miles traveled by different racial and ethnic groups using different modes of transport. They used data from the U.S. Fatality Analysis Reporting systems from 2016-2018 to calculate a three-year average of traffic fatalities for each racial or ethnic group and subgroup. The figures were then used to calculate fatality rates per mile.

The study had several main findings:

• Black cyclists suffered approximately 34 deaths per 100 million miles traveled on bicycle, 4.5 times higher than White cyclists, who died 7.5 times for every 100 million bicycle miles.

• Black pedestrians died at a rate 2.2 times higher per mile walked than White pedestrians.

• Black vehicle drivers and passengers died 1.8 times more often as their White…