Useful data regarding minority populations and traffic-related risks can be hard to come by. Police accident reports have not included data about victims' ethnicity, and public health reports, although they include this information, have failed to link ethnicity data back to traffic reports, making it difficult for researchers to obtain a complete, accurate picture of the causes of injury and death. Information about socioeconomic status is also lacking from reports. This information would help researchers determine the extent to which lower socioeconomic status-which is closely related to minority status-determines traffic-safety risk. In additions, in reports where multiple approaches have been used in gathering data, results are often inconsistent. Self-report data tends to differ from data obtained through researchers' observations. While current data suggests links between ethnicity and increased traffic injury risk, researchers are routinely frustrated by data inconsistencies and often have difficulty demonstrating the full significance of these links.
Abstract