Report: Arizona on top 5 list for most deadly road rage shootings; more drivers armed

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- As the Valley sees another wave of road rage incidents, car insurance aggregator Jerry is highlighting that Arizona remains ranked in the top 5 for deaths related to road rage.

In addition, researchers reportedly found that about 35% of Arizona drivers know someone who carries a gun in their car. According to Jerry, 35 states now allow residents to carry loaded handguns in their vehicles.

Last year, Arizona’s Family reported on Jerry’s study that revealed the state was #4 for road rage shootings nationwide, a statistic that gun violence advocates say is staggering considering our smaller size. We currently rank #2 per capita.

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“It’s not just about the fear of collisions anymore. Americans are expressing concern over threats to their personal safety on the road. Since the pandemic, driving behavior has become more volatile, and the overwhelming majority have seen some type of aggressive behavior,” said Jerry Data Journalist Henry Hoenig. “What’s more, in 2022 15% of American drivers saw or were involved in a road rage incident involving some sort of weapon, including a gun.”

Last year’s data from Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control, and the nonpartisan Gun Violence Archive, have found that there were at least 522 people shot in road rage incidents in 2021. It’s a number that has more than doubled since 2018.

Jerry’s research also found that more drivers from low-income zip codes have witnessed road rage. Only 14 percent of low-income earners told surveyors that they had never seen an act of road rage. That number pales in comparison to nearly a third of low-to-middle-class earners who reportedly have never seen a road rage incident.

In 2022, the Phoenix Police Department and the City of Phoenix announced “Operation Gun Crime Crackdown” to help reduce gun violence in the city and surrounding communities.

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