How America's roads are deadlier than ever after shocking explosion of violence in these unlikely states

American roads have become deadlier than ever after a shocking uptick of violence in a number of unlikely states including Washington and Indiana.

Federal data obtained and analyzed by USA Today reveals that highway shootings have gone  up by more than half in the last five years across the country.

These incidents don't just occur in heavily populated areas - these explosions of violence have caused concern among drivers in other communities, especially since the shooters often flee before police arrive.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez believes that road rage incidents reflect a societal disconnect. He argues that people often fail to empathize with others on the road, leading to tragic consequences.

'Frequently people don't see the person in another car as another person (or) someone in their community because they are so overwhelmed by a moment of rage,' he told USA Today.

Recently, a highway shooting in Kentucky captured the nation's attention.

A two-week manhunt for a suspect who opened fire on vehicles in Kentucky ended abruptly on Wednesday. The 32-year-old army veteran, Joseph Couch, shot at motorists on Interstate 75 near London on September 7, injuring five people.

The attack, which involved an AR-style rifle purchased hours before the shooting, prompted a widespread search.

A YouTuber couple, Fred and Sheila McCoy, accidentally discovered the suspect's decomposing body while live streaming their search in the Daniel Boone National Forest. They had noticed vultures circling a specific area and decided to investigate.

The Kentucky shooting was not the only highway shooting causing national outrage. 

Just five days before the Kentucky shooting, on Labor Day evening in Washington state, a gunman injured six people in a series of attacks along Interstate 5 outside Seattle. He hit around 10 cars and left two people in critical condition with gunshot wounds in their neck and chest.

Washington's i-5 shooter is not an isolated incident as reported shootings on the state's freeways have skyrocketed over 55 percent between 2019 and 2023 (from 602 to 937).

Instances of motorists threatening other drivers with their guns increased by 35 percent during the same timeframe.

According to data shared by Chris Loftis, Director of Communications for the Washington State Patrol, gang violence makes up a fourth of highway violence, including robberies and domestic disputes.

Loftis told USA Today that the increase in shootings could be directly tied to a larger number of guns in circulation and more people driving on highways. He stated, 'More cars mean a greater potential for roadway conflicts, and more guns increase the likelihood that these conflicts turn deadly.'

As of 2024, the number of reported shootings is on pace to surpass the previous record of 1,058, set in 2022.

The majority of shootings in Washington occur on Interstate 5 between Seattle and Tacoma.

Just days before the Kentucky shooting, a driver with unknown motives randomly shot at nearly a dozen people, including a family with two small children.

Eric Jerome Lee Sentell Perkins was charged with five counts of assault for these attacks, which spanned a 25-mile stretch of interstate in two counties.

The recent spree of shootings is the second such incident in Washington state within a year.

Last December, state patrol arrested another driver suspected of being behind six shootings that occurred within a few hours of each other.

Indiana is also in the mix of states that have seen the number of highway shootings soar. 

According to Sergeant John Perrine of the Indiana State Police, shootings on Indiana highways have been increasing for years due to road rage.

Indianapolis area interstates saw 56 shootings and 230 reports of brandished guns in 2023. These numbers are continuing to increase in 2024, with 54 shootings and 300 reports of brandished guns already recorded.

The incidents on highways across the country are not exclusive to gun violence. 

Back in April, three Colorado teenagers charged with killing a 20-year-old woman by throwing a huge rock through her windshield have pleaded not-guilty to her murder.

Alexa Bartell, 20, was killed when Joseph Koenig, Nicholas 'Mitch' Karol-Chik and Zachary Kwak, all 18, allegedly hurled a landscaping rock at her car in Arvada, Colorado, on April 19 2023.

Appearing in Jefferson County District Court on Monday, the teenagers pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder with extreme indifference - Koenig is also facing four new charges of attempted murder and assault for separate rock-throwing incident.

Prosecutors say the men had thrown giant landscaping rocks and hit six other cars that night, but all the other drivers were uninjured.

Bartell was on the phone with a friend when a rock smashed into her car and she went quiet. Her friend tracked her phone and drove to the location to find her dead in her car, which had plowed off the road into a field.