Corruption and Traffic Offenses: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

Do revelations of corruption lead to an increase in traffic offenses? To address this question, I leverage Brazil’s anti-corruption program, Programa de Fiscalização em Entes Federativos por Sorteios Públicos, which exposed municipal-level corruption cases, to examine their potential impact on citizens' compliance with traffic laws. Using data on traffic offenses, I find that corruption has no effect on traffic violations. This finding remains consistent regardless of the severity of corruption cases, the age of drivers, the availability of local media, or whether corrupt politicians were legally punished or reelected. These results suggest that adherence to traffic rules is more likely driven by individual risk preferences and broader social and cultural factors rather than by political corruption.

Nicolás Guida-Johnson

Assistant Professor

I am an Assistant Professor of Economics at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.