Pedestrians and cyclists have experienced increasing rates of injuries and fatalities in the United States over the past decade. Exposure to this health risk, however, is inequitably distributed along racial lines. We conduct a novel analysis of traffic injuries in Boston, Massachusetts, using data collected from ambulance services. We show, first, that crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists are much more common in communities of color than in communities where non-Hispanic white residents predominate. Second, we show that residents of communities of color are disproportionately exposed to pedestrian injuries even outside of the neighborhoods where they live. These conditions are especially true for residents of neighborhoods that are majority Black.

This evidence shows that traffic injuries are not evenly experienced. It’s possible that neighborhoods with a high percentage of people of color have less infrastructure to make streets safe for walkers and bikers, and that pedestrians of color may face drivers who pay less attention to them, resulting in unsafe walking environments. To address this inequitable health outcome, cities and states should consider focusing their street infrastructure investments in ways that prioritize people of color.