Driving While Black: The App That Could Save Your Life

It’s a fact of American life that the color of your skin can get your pulled over while driving.

A 2015 University of North Carolina study titled “Driving While Black: It’s Getting Worse” found that black drivers are 31 percent more likely to get pulled over by police, 200 percent more likely to be searched and 190 percent more likely to be arrested after a traffic stop in North Carolina than white drivers.

Those numbers are echoed around the country, where blacks are pulled over and end up in jail at higher rates than other ethnicities.

Meanwhile, police are in a precarious position, in part, because traffic stops are considered one of the most dangerous duties officers perform. It’s also the No. 1 interaction with the public, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. And not every traffic stop is an example of profiling.

But when a stop goes wrong for dubious reasons, it becomes another flash point between two communities. So one group of entrepreneurs have created a smartphone app to deal with drivers who believe they have been profiled on the open road.

The Driving While Black App, which debuted last year, aims to provide lots of information to people before an incident happens as well as when it happens, the developers said this week.

“We want to de-escalate the situation,” said Mariann Hyland, an attorney and co-founder of the app. “We want to empower people with a resource.”

Indeed, the app, which can be operated on an iPhone or Android device, comes with reams of information. It stresses to drivers remain clam, observant and the information needed to get through the traffic stop.

Hyland said that because some black drivers feel they are being profiled, they can get understandably frustrated and angry during a stop. Meanwhile, a police officer is approaching the vehicle not knowing who is in the car, she said.

The situation is an potential powder keg, even though both sides may have done nothing to arouse suspicions.

The app provides more than just information. It can quickly notify friends and family that you have been pulled over by police with the touch of a button. It can allow the driver to easily record the situation as well. It can even provide drivers with nearby attorneys should they get arrested. If the driver feels his or her rights were violated, it can walk the driver through the procedure to file a complaint.

“People need to know they have choices as well as what their rights are,” said Hyland, adding, “It can even help parents talk to their kids about what to do during a traffic stop.”

Currently, the group that created the app is attempting to raise more money to provide additional features, with more than 6,000 downloads since its debut.

Common sense and calm demeanor could become a lifesaver during a tense traffic stop, and it’s a sad commentary that someone needed to create an app for this situation. But institutional racism for generations will not be wiped away overnight, and this tool could help any person deal with the police on friendlier terms. And if there is a problem, after the incident is over, it shows people what they can do to address it.