Furious Drivers on the Loose: Road Rage Incidents Soar in Wa

Road rage. You've heard of it. Maybe you've been involved in an incident on the road. Authorities say they've seen an uptick over the last 9 years because of an increase in traffic and higher prices.

DO YOU FEEL A NEED TO CONTAIN YOUR ANGER BEHIND THE WHEEL?

New information from the Washington State Patrol shows shootings in cars per million people rose from .14 in 2014 to 1.28 in 2023.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, road rage is:

"An assault with a motor vehicle or other dangerous weapon by the operator or passenger(s) of one motor vehicle on the operator or passenger(s) of another motor vehicle caused by an incident that occurred on a roadway."

WA STATE HAS SEEN A HUGE INCREASE OVER A 9 YEAR PERIOD

Road rage assaults have seen a huge increase nationwide increasing some 450% between 2014 and 2023, according to a new report by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) by https://www.thetrace.org/. Washington State Patrol Troopers and KOMO TV say road rage shootings increased from 465 in 2018 to 807 in 2022.

HAVE YOU BEEN IN A ROAD RAGE INCIDENT?

So far this year drivers in the state have experienced some 324 road rage incidents in which shots have been fired.
Yakima Police Capt. Jay Seely says many road rage incidents never get reported to police. He says many drivers are driving distracted and that also can trigger other drivers.
He also says many drivers follow behind others to close and that can cause road rage anywhere in the state.