Road rage shootings hit record high in 2021 according to new data

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - New data suggests road rage shootings across the United States hit their highest levels in six years through 2021. The analysis by Everytown for Gun Safety reveals more than 500 people were shot and hurt or killed by road rage incidents last year.

Southern Colorado has seen several suspected or confirmed road rage incidents, including a situation where a 13-year-old girl was shot on I-25 in July of 2021.

More recently, a man was shot in January of this year, during an alleged confrontation with a driver near Northgate.

Back in 2014, a Colorado Springs man was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for driving over another man in a road rage incident.

"We receive dozens, if not hundreds of calls a day from folks who are either seeing dangerous driving actions or having experienced it themselves," said Colorado State Patrol Trooper Josh Lewis.

Everytown's data shows more than 500 people were shot and wounded or killed in over 700 incidents in 2021, which equates to an average of 44 people per month. The group says this is double the pre-pandemic average for road rage shootings.

According to Everytown, between 2016 and 2019, there were an average of 22 people shot and killed or wounded in road rage shooting incidents each month. In 2020, it jumped to 34, and then 44 in 2021. Over the same period, the proportion of road rage incidents that resulted in gun injury or death increased.

“We've seen that escalation as it goes up," Said Trooper Lewis. "Those fights that happen between drivers, sometimes even after a fender bender or something goes on where nobody's injured, but somebody wants to -- as they perceive -- get that justice that that they feel they deserve. They let emotions get the best of them and unfortunately, that has been very dangerous, and even deadly at different times.”

Right now it's unclear why road rage incidents are rising. However, Everytown suggests the pandemic and its effects added new stressors into lives and also exacerbated other underlying issues people were struggling with.

Colorado Springs Police say if you ever find yourself in a road rage situation with another driver, do not pull over or get out of your car. If someone is harassing, tailgating, or following you and the situation is making you uncomfortable, they suggest you can always drive to the nearest police station while calling 911 to inform them of the harassment.

"The best thing to do is separate yourself from the situation," said Trooper Lewis. "Don't engage, don't escalate, and ultimately give yourself some space from that other person. If you feel that your life is in danger, or they're following you, or doing something that puts you and others at risk, it's absolutely appropriate to call 911 or call emergency services."

If you ever encounter an aggressive driver on the roads, you can call *277 to report that person. Colorado State Patrol says since this program was started, they've received more than 230,000 reports of aggressive drivers.

There are laws on the books to combat the growing problem. If a Coloradan uses a gun in a road rage incident, they face up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Springs Police also remind everyone to give other drivers grace and remember that people will make mistakes driving. They say someone cutting you off, or making another driving mistake should never cause you to escalate the situation to violence.

According to estimates by the AAA Foundation’s Annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, millions of drivers engaged in angry and aggressive behaviors 30 days before the survey. Those included:

• 57 million drivers aggressively drive by switching lanes quickly/or very close behind another car.
• 71 million drivers making rude gestures or honking at other drivers.
• 75 million drivers follow the car in front of them closely to prevent another car from merging.