A study released by the Consumer Federation of America yesterday finds that drivers in predominantly black communities can face car insurance rates upwards of two times as much as drivers in white communities, depending on driving history. According to the report:

Most states prohibit the consideration of a driver’s race or ethnicity when determining premiums. However, the findings of this report suggest that good drivers living in predominantly African American communities will pay, on average, 70 percent more for state-mandated minimum liability-only coverage than a similarly-situated driver in a predominantly white community. After controlling for both population density (as a proxy for traffic density) and income, we found that drivers living in predominantly African American communities continued to see higher average premiums than similarly situated drivers in predominantly white communities.

That 70% increase in premiums represents a $438 annual dollar amount difference between average rates for minimum liability insurance for black communities and white communities. And even controlling for factors that might be expected to raise premiums, like traffic density and income, the Federation found disparities between those living in black communities and white communities. Even more stark differences remained between people living in upper middle-income areas, as there was a 170% difference between black communities and white communities there. In large cities, where rates on average can top $1,000 a year, that difference can be crippling.

These findings suggest that even legal standards have not been enough to curb some more subtle and implicit forms of racial bias. And they also highlight the every day life impacts, from check to check, of that bias, as well as the contribution to large racial gaps in long-term savings and wealth.