Georgia

Road rage shootings reach highest level in 6 years, research group says

ATLANTA — New research shows a rise in road rage incidents last year.

Over the last year, there were at least 126 road rage incidents in Georgia.

Everytown for Gun Safety says the number of road rage incidents last year was the highest in six years.

In metro Atlanta and across the country, we have reported on stories of anger on the roads spilling over and, in some cases, leading to gunfire.

According to Everytown for Gun Safety, at least 728 people were shot in road rage incidents in 2021, averaging 44 people per month.

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In 62% of the incidents, someone was hurt or killed.

Just last month, city leaders from across the country warned Congress that they are seeing similar road rage trends.

“We’ve seen violent crime erupt in new areas. We’ve seen a doubling of road rage and shootings in the city of Seattle,” said Nicholas Brown, a U.S. attorney for Washington state.

Researchers with Everytown for Gun Safety say it’s not clear what’s behind the rise in numbers, but they believe the pandemic and its continued impact has brought new stressors into people’s lives.

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