Racial Disparities in Speeding Citations in Texas: Examining Discrimination against Asian American Drivers

Police stops and resulting fines affect perceptions of state legitimacy and reproduce inequality for marginalized groups. Policing disparity research mostly focuses on Black and Hispanic Americans, primarily because these groups are known to experience overpolicing, but also because data constraints often prevent examination of other groups. We use records from all Texas Highway Patrol traffic stops between 2006 and 2017 to examine disparities in citation issuance for Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander drivers relative to White drivers in 11.85 million speeding-related stops. All nonwhite drivers are more likely to receive citations, but the disparity is largest for Asian drivers. Across various contexts, Asian/Pacific Islander drivers consistently face 1.5 to 2.5 times higher odds of citation than White drivers, with disparities greatest in rural areas. These disparate outcomes can negatively shape views on police legitimacy and create unevenly distributed financial burdens via citation costs and consequent increases to automotive insurance premiums.