Road rage shootings are rising in Washington state

New gun violence data shows that road rage shootings in Washington have spiked since 2014.

Why it matters: Road rage shooting incidents have skyrocketed nationally over the past decade, increasing by 450% between 2014 and 2023, according to a new analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) by The Trace .

The big picture: The findings mirror a broader increase in gun violence.

Zoom in: Shootings in cars resulting in injury or death per million people rose in Washington state from .14 in 2014 to 1.28 in 2023, The Trace analysis found.

By the numbers: The Washington State Patrol does not separate out "road rage" incidents as it isn't always possible to know the motivations behind people's interactions, officials said.

• But the stats do show an increase in road shootings from 465 in 2018 to 807 in 2020 and 1,058 in 2022, per KOMO , and an increase in the number of weapons brandished.
• In 2023, there were 936 reports of shots fired on the state's highways and 1,267 reports of a weapon brandished, WSP communications director Chris Loftis told Axios.
• This year, there have been 324 situations in which shots were fired and 424 incidents of weapons brandished between Jan. 1 and May 13, he said.

Stunning stat: Nationally, the number of road rage shootings that resulted in injuries or death between 2014 and 2023 was 51%, according to the GVA data.

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