Road rage shootings in California are on the rise
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Road rage shooting incidents in California increased over the past decade, a new report finds.
The big picture: State numbers mirror shooting incidents nationally that have increased by 450% between 2014 and 2023, according to a new analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) by The Trace.
- The findings reflect a broader increase in gun-related violence.
State of play: The number of reported road rage shooting incidents in California increased from 18 in 2014 to 33 in 2022 before dipping to 26 in 2023, per The Trace's findings.
- That's an average of 0.52 incidents per million people between 2014 and 2023.
- 63% of road rage shooting incidents involved injury or death.
- The number of reported road rage shooting incidents per million people ticked up from 0.47 in 2014 to 0.7 in 2023.
- San Francisco itself had 10 road rage incidents involving firearms from 2014 to 2023, eight of which resulted in shootings — 10 victims were shot.
Zoom in: Despite California's tougher gun laws, the Bay Area has had a string of notable road rage-related shootings over the past year.
- Just last month, police said an argument near an intersection led two people to exchange fire in Santa Rosa.
- Law enforcement officers also seized two guns and ammunition from a suspect in March after a road rage freeway shooting in the East Bay caused minor injuries.
- A South San Francisco man was shot in the shoulder in September after another driver tailgated him and fired into the passenger window, his daughter said.
- In another incident last May, a driver was accused of firing 15 rounds of ammunition into two vehicles during a Highway 1 fender-bender that injured a man and a 3-year-old, per local authorities.
Yes, but: Freeway shootings overall, which include road rage incidents but cover all violence involving firearms on state freeways, have decreased in California after reaching a peak of 447 in 2021.
- Since then, the state has recorded a 38% reduction in shootings and a 75% reduction in deaths, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Caveat: The GVA is a private nonprofit that produces a range of gun violence estimates based on police reports, government data, news stories and more.
- Some incidents go unreported, so not every relevant episode is captured.