NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Deadly road rage shootings have hit a record high in the United States.
In 2021, an average of 44 people per month were killed or injured in road rage shootings, which is double the pre-pandemic average, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control.
A person was shot and either injured or killed in a road rage incident every 17 hours, on average, during 2021.
Everytown for Gun Safety discovered in total that more than 500 people were shot and wounded or killed in over 700 incidents, in 2021 in the country.
From 2016 to 2019, roughly one-third of road rage incidents involving a gun resulted in injury or death. By 2021, that number jumped to nearly two-thirds.
The research group doesn't know what is driving this increase in road rage shootings, but the pandemic and its continuing effects have brought all kinds of new stressors into people's lives.
Middle Tennessee had at least 28 cases of road rage reported last year, 20 of which involved gunfire.
Family members of some of the victims have said they want to see more done to stop the violence. One family even suggested investing in a road rage hotline to help curb aggressive driving.
Everytown for Gun Safety said since these trends don't seem to be slowing, there should be more action from policymakers to prevent gun violence.
