Goods movement, road safety, and spatial inequity: Evaluating freight-related crashes in low-income or minority neighborhoods

The significant growth in freight traffic and relevant crashes has aroused increasing concerns about road safety threats in local communities. We use data from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area and examine the spatial relationship between freight-related crashes and neighborhoods with low-income and minority populations. We find that both household income and percentage of minority population are significantly correlated with the density of both freight-related crashes and freight-related crashes causing severe injuries and fatalities. The results indicate that freight-related crashes are subject to a spatial inequity problem. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating freight-related safety improvement within these low-income and minority neighborhoods. •The relationship between freight-related crashes and socioeconomics of neighborhoods is examined.•Lower-income and minority neighborhoods have a higher risk of freightrelated crashes.•A coverage validity of the results is revealed in both the census tract and block group level analyses.•Policy implications on local traffic safety improvements and freight planning are provided based on the findings.