Do mass shootings also increase fatal car crashes?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-07-16 01:00

International

Photo by Clark Van Der Beken on Unsplash

Mass shootings may lead to an increase in deaths from traffic accidents in the immediate aftermath, according to US research, which found that traffic fatalities rise by an average of 14.3% on the day following these events. The researchers found the increase in fatal motor vehicle crashes coincided with internet search interest in “shooting” and was consistent across driver demographics, geographic regions, and conditions. They did not see the same rise in fatal motor vehicle crashes following active shooter events that did not result in fatalities. While the research can only suggest a link - and not cause and effect - the researchers say driver distraction from things such as distress, media notifications, or texting could explain the effect.

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research JAMA, Web page Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends).

Journal/
conference: JAMA Psychiatry

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Harvard Medical School, USA

Funder: DrWorsham reported personal fees from Alosa Health, Analysis Group, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, FVC Health, NuvoAir, Substack, Tell Health, The New York Times, TIME, and TheWall Street Journal, income from book rights to Doubleday Books, and speaking fees from the HarryWalker Agency outside the submitted work. Dr Jena reported personal fees from Analysis Group, New York Times, Los Angeles Times,Wall Street Journal, Doubleday Books, and FreakonomicsMD outside the submitted work and unpaid board membership of the United Network for Organ Sharing. No other disclosures were reported.

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.