Although many have argued the contrary, it seems that there is some legitimacy to the notion of “racial profiling” after all. According to the Back on the Road California Coalition, there have been some troubling findings as far as minorities and the underprivileged drivers are concerned.A candid new report asserts that low-income and minority motorists are are being specifically targeted by the traffic ticket industry in California. Presently pushing for a reform of what they insist is a corrupt system, the Back on the Road California Coalition are seeking to get rid of these unfair practices as they believe the excess fees in the form of tickets, fees, and suspensions, are only helping to perpetuate poverty.
No Documented Difference
Moreover, the report has been especially appalling to many as although it shows that is is clearly much more likely than an underprivileged and/or minority person to be hit with heavy fines for minor traffic violations, it also shows that there is no documented difference in driving behavior in terms of motorists across racial lines.
In other words, the fact that it can be proven that minorities are not only being pulled over, but receiving harsher penalties, despite not being able to prove any correlation between said demographics and an increased level of risky driving behaviors, all but proves that these drivers are being targeted for race specifically.
In addition to that, the report also includes an interactive map that shows visual evidence of the fact that license suspension rates are dispassionately high in Black and Latino communities. Furthermore, these drivers are not only being pulled over and hit with harsher fines, they are also more likely to be arrested for matters such as driving on a suspended license or the failure to pay fines.
Nation’s Highest Fines
A state with some of the nation’s highest fines, California is certainly not an ideal location to incur driving-related fees of any kind. For instance, some areas in California have installed traffic light cameras which carry a $500 fine alone.These fines are increased by $300 is one fails to pay or the driver’s license could be instantly suspended and they could also face jail time. A troubling notion for California minority motorists, the state of California reportedly suspended 4.2 million licenses for the failure to pay fines between the years of 2006 and 2013 alone.In addition to that, those who are bereft of options in terms of alternative transportation often end up much worse off as the fine for driving on a suspended license is $1,000, higher insurance premiums, and jail time.In ConclusionOverall, a very telling report, it seems that this nation still has quite a bit of work to do in terms of race relations. Almost impossible for this demographic to beat a traffic ticket in California, short of moving, many are out of options.Nevertheless, by presenting this information, we are that much closer to fixing these injustices against minorities as underprivileged drivers.