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A new study revealed that drivers are less likely to step on the brakes for African-American pedestrians, reports the Chicago Tribune.

From Chicago Tribune:

Researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas also found that the disparity is greater depending on whether the pedestrian is in a high- or low-income neighborhood: the average number of vehicles to pass by a black pedestrian who was already in the crosswalk was at least seven times higher compared with a white pedestrian in the wealthier neighborhood, the study’s lead researcher said.

“Sadly, it wasn’t surprising,” said Courtney Coughenour, an assistant professor in the School of Community Health Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. But there are also several factors in the Las Vegas study that suggest the results should be interpreted with care.

…Coughenour, while acknowledging the study’s limitations, said she believes the results confirm what researchers found in a study conducted by researchers at Portland State University in Oregon and the University of Arizona. She said the findings are also in line with a large body of literature that suggests people react differently to others based on “implicit bias” that may not be conscious. “We all have some sort of innate bias,” she said.

Coughenour hopes to start more conversations and raise awareness about personal bias and “walking while Black” phenomenon, reports the Las Vegas Sun.

SOURCE: Chicago TribuneLas Vegas Sun

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Walking While Black: Study Says Drivers Less Likely To Brake For African Americans  was originally published on newsone.com