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As incidents of highway shootings on U.S. interstates continue to rise, law enforcement agencies are warning about the dangers posed by aggressive driving behaviors.
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is among the agencies nationwide calling attention to this troubling trend.
“You have the recipe for some real, real challenges,” said Chris Loftis of the WSP, which has recorded a 300% increase in highway shootings over the past year.
According to Loftis, highway shootings are difficult to prevent and just as challenging to investigate.
“Highways are dangerous enough without anything like this,” Loftis said. “It makes it tougher to patrol and respond. And then it makes it tougher to investigate.”
Loftis said that each shooting incident usually begins with aggressive driving leading to acts of road rage.
“When you have situations where peoples’ behavior is changing about how they’re operating their vehicles. And then peoples’ behavior changing in how they respond to aggressiveness. You overlay that with more people, more cars,” he explained.
Law enforcement warn that highway shootings pose significant risks not only to the safety of motorists but also to law enforcement officers.
Worryingly, the shootings reflect a growing threat across the country.
Over the past year, various states including California, Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Florida have reported an alarming rise in highway shootings.
“The numbers are just too high,” said David Reich of the National Road Safety Foundation.
Law enforcement officials stress the importance of caution and restraint for drivers encountering aggressive behavior on the road.
“Any time, if someone is driving aggressively, just try to stay away from them,” Reich advised.
In response to the surge in highway shootings, the WSP has ramped up efforts to combat the issue, including deploying more officers on the road.
The WSP said they utilize heat maps to identify high-risk areas when determining where to deploy patrols.
However, challenges persist due to a shortage of police officers, hindering efforts to effectively crack down on these incidents.
This year alone, the WSP has investigated nine confirmed highway shootings, with an additional four reported shootings awaiting substantiation.
The most recent incidents occurred within a 10-minute span during peak rush hour on Interstate 5, underscoring the urgency of addressing this issue.
WSP Trooper Rick Johnson discussed the inherent dangers of such shootings, particularly during busy traffic hours.
“It’s very dangerous,” Johnson told KIRO 7. “It’s because you can’t take that round and put it back in your gun and firing on the freeway is very reckless, you don’t know where that’s going to go.”
Johnson encouraged drivers to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to highway shootings.
As law enforcement agencies work to address the root causes of highway shootings, drivers are questioning the motives behind these incidents.
Michael Dougherty, a King County driver, reflected on the underlying factors contributing to the uptick in shootings.
“I don’t know if it’s a mental health issue or what,” Dougherty said. “Why? Why would it happen?”
As investigations into these incidents continue, the WSP urged anyone with information to come forward.
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