A new study has examined footage of 577 routine traffic stops with Black drivers. The predictor of how those stops would end? The first 45 words a police officer said.
81% of stops ended in searches, handcuffs, or arrests. Those outcomes were more likely when the officer didn’t explain the stop, and three times more likely when cops begin with commands like, “Turn the car off.”
When nearly 200 Black men simply listened to the recordings, they predicted 84% of stops correctly. This tells us something important.
Black men are highly aware of the dangers of traffic stops. And though this study’s results focus on Black men for statistical reasons, they’re being used to reflect the experiences of all Black drivers.
But what would research look like interrogating how traffic stops impact other genders?
Could the first 45 words change? Would sexual harassment play a role? Are the conversations the same? When 84% of all our interactions with police happen through traffic stops, there’s a lot to be curious about.
New research can make us feel affirmed when we’ve been sharing these experiences anecdotally.
But, when it helps shape narratives in our advocacy movements, it isn’t wrong to consider questions like these. And if the data isn't here, we can still start the conversation in our communities ourselves.