USA Today, January 2025
Cheap and simple vehicle-based attacks have rapidly become one of the deadliest forms of terror assaults worldwide, killing and injuring thousands of people internationally since they began becoming more frequent after the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts say a combination of factors have increased the number of vehicle attacks in recent years, notably the increased focus on outdoor events after the pandemic, ease of access to trucks or cars, and the uncomplicated nature of the approach itself. Early Wednesday, an armed man deliberately drove a truck into a New Year’s crowd on New Orleans’ famed Bourbon Street, killing at least 10 and injuring more than 30 before being shot and killed by police. The attack raised fears about copycat incidents at multiple events around the country later in the day, including the annual Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena.
James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology, law and public policy at Northeastern University, said that while vehicle rammings remain relatively rare among mass-casualty incidents in the United States, “they can be quite deadly” in contrast to a gun attack. “In the U.S., at least with the prevalence of high-powered firearms compared to other nations, I suspect that rammings will remain a small share of incidents,” Fox said. “Of course, if possible, barriers and street closings to protect crowds from vehicles would help, but in most situations that may not be practical.”
