Life and Death in the Fast Lane: Police Enforcement and Traffic Fatalities
Abstract
Simultaneity complicates the estimation of the causal effect of police on crime. We overcome this obstacle by focusing on a mass layoff of Oregon State Police in February of 2003. Due solely to budget cuts, 35 percent of the roadway troopers were laid off, which dramatically reduced citations. The subsequent decrease in enforcement is associated with a significant increase in injuries and fatalities. The effects are similar using control groups chosen either geographically or through data-driven methods. Our estimates suggest that a highway fatality can be prevented with $309,000 of expenditures on state police. (JEL H76, K42, R41)
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De Angelo & Hansen found that, after allowing for other factors associated with road traffic incidents, less policing led to a 12-14% increase in fatalities.
“A comparison of injury and fatality rates in Oregon with rates in two neighboring states before and after the layoff indicated that, after allowing for other factors associated with road traffic incidents, such as the weather and the number of young drivers, less policing led to a 12–14% increase in fatalities.”
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- Authors
- DeAngelo, G., & Hansen, B.
- Affiliations
- Texas Tech University (US)
- University of Oregon (US)
- Venue
- American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
- Publisher
- American Economic Association
- Published
- 2014-05-01
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 231-257
- ISSN
- 1945-7731 (ISSN-L)
- 1945-774X
- OpenAlex
- W3122648149
- Cited by
- 179
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 5
- FWCI
- 47.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Economic Journal Economic Policy (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality › Traffic and Road Safety
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Policing Practices and Perceptions
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Law, Economics, and Judicial Systems
- Keywords
- police enforcement, traffic fatalities, highway safety, state police, layoffs, budget cuts, citation, injury prevention
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