Three years after a Philly law was passed to reduce stops for minor traffic violations, a new online tool was introduced Monday that provides public data on who's getting pulled over.
Using information from the city's police department, the census and Vision Zero, the Driving Equality Dashboard shows how many people are being stopped, where those stops are happening and the demographics of the drivers.
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The dashboard, announced by Councilmember Isaiah Thomas (D-At Large) and other stakeholders, is part of two Driving Equality bills that passed in 2021. The first, which went into effect in 2022, bans police from stopping drivers for eight minor violations, including a broken headlight, overdue registration, bumper issues and driving without inspection or emissions stickers. Drivers can still receive warnings or citations for those infractions if they are pulled over for other violations. The second called for an online dashboard to improve transparency about who is being pulled over and assess the impact of the changes for police.
The bills were meant to help eliminate discrimination in traffic stops. In 2021, when the legislation passed, Black drivers accounted for 72% of traffic stops despite making up only 42% of Philadelphia's population. In comparison, white drivers accounted for 15% of the stops but were 34% of the population. In 2024, the gap closed slightly, with 63% of stops being Black drivers and 17% being white.
"The intention of Driving Equality is not only to reduce Philadelphia's massive racial disparities in traffic enforcement, but also to empower our communities through transparency and accountability," said Keisha Hudson, chief defender for the Defender Association of Philadelphia. "Knowledge is power, and can lead to a safer, more just Philadelphia."
Traffic stops in Philadelphia went down significantly from 2020 to 2023, decreasing from 120,000 to 100,000. But that number climbed back up to 126,000 in 2024. However, it's still far less than 335,000 stops reported in 2019.
Thomas said he hopes the legislation can improve the relationship between Black people and police by eliminating unnecessary stops and improving transparency.
"When we think about this legislation, when we think about the disconnect between communities of color and law enforcement, when we think about why so many Black people don't want to be police officers, especially in Philadelphia, we can look at ourselves and be able to say: 'We can change that narrative,'" Thomas said.
Traffic safety has a key initiative for Thomas, who introduced a bill last week in City Council calling for automated speed cameras in five school zones across the city and held a hearing on Vision Zero — the city's effort to reduce pedestrian traffic deaths.
"Since Driving Equality has passed, we've had a strong, aggressive push toward using more technology to handle issues related to motor vehicle code violations," Thomas said. "I'm proud of the bill that we just introduced, proud of the speed cameras that are coming. We feel like those are the things that are the best tools to be able to deter negative activities as it relates to driving and traffic."
