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As if you don't have enough to worry about on the road, consider this: Over the past 10 years, the number of people shot each year in road rage incidents has increased 422%.
That disturbing statistic comes from a report issued earlier this year by The Trace, a non-profit, non-partisan media outlet reporting on gun violence in the United States. The publication analyzed Gun Violence Archive data collected between 2014 and 2023. In 2014, 92 people were shot in road rage incidents, but that number jumped to 481 by 2023. Over the course of the decade, 3,095 motorists were shot and nearly one fourth of those victims, or 777 people, died as a result of their injuries.
The issue was highlighted recently by a case in California where two men died — one motorcyclist and a car driver who was killed in front of his young children — after a hit-and-run incident escalated into a fatal gunfight. Aaron Harris, 37, was driving on Interstate 210 with two of his children, ages 2 and 5, in the back seat. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, 38-year-old motorcyclist Johnathan McConnell “split lanes and collided into the sedan occupied by Harris” just before 8 p.m.
When McConnell didn’t stop after the collision, Harris followed him to Joy’s Lounge, a bar in Highland, California. Upon arrival, McConnell “greeted several people known to him” in the parking lot. Harris arrived soon after and started shouting threats at McConnell.
As McConnell approached the sedan, Harris shot at him. McConnell returned fire. Both men sustained gunshot wounds in the exchange and were transported to a local hospital, but were later pronounced dead. During the shootout, Harris’ children were unharmed but an adult male at the scene was struck in the hand by a stray bullet.
While this tragic case drew a lot of media attention, it's only one example of a broader epidemic on U.S. roadways.
California, yes, but also everywhere
California is particularly notorious for road rage incidents. Forbes recently surveyed 10,000 licensed drivers (200 drivers per state) to determine which state has the most confrontational drivers. California topped the list with a 100 (out of 100) score.
Hostilities between riders and motorists aren’t limited to the Golden State, either. In February, a Virginia motorcyclist wrestled a gun away from a truck driver who shot at him (and missed) in an intersection. Months later, in April, a rider fatally shot a motorist in a road rage incident in Memphis, Tennessee. A similar case occurred in El Paso, Texas, in June, but the driver survived the shooting.
It’s impossible to attribute the surge in violence to one cause. There are several factors at play, from traffic laws to post-pandemic driving habits to the proliferation of guns. If there’s any lesson to learn from these cases, it’s that cooler heads prevail, especially when firearms are involved.
