A Brief Update on Vehicle Rammings

Abstract:

Terrorism is the use of violence against civilians in pursuit of political or ideological aims. The use of a vehicle such as a truck or car as a weapon in a terrorist attack is unfortunately not new, and recent incidents demonstrate the devastating impact vehicle rammings have.

Research shows that a vehicle is one of the weapons available to most people in “developed” countries, especially when there are strict controls on firearms. Used maliciously, especially when it is large and moving at speed, a vehicle can kill and injure many.

Since 2017, the Mineta Transportation Institute has been studying vehicle ramming used intentionally to kill and injure the public, either for ideological or terrorist reasons or for unknown reasons. The graphs, data, and general conclusions that follow are updated regularly to include the most recent incidents of vehicle ramming terrorist attacks around the world.

View and Download the Full Update (updated March 3, 2025).

Authors:

BRIAN MICHAEL JENKINS

Brian Michael Jenkins is the Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute’s Allied Telesis National Transportation Security Center and, since 1997, has directed the Institute’s continuing research on protecting surface transportation against terrorism and other serious forms of crime.

BRUCE R. BUTTERWORTH

Bruce R. Butterworth is a Senior Transportation Security Researcher at MTI and former Director of Aviation Security Operations at the Federal Aviation Administration. Bruce has taken a leading role in creating MTI’s unique database of attacks on public surface transportation.

Published:

March 2025

Keywords:

Transportation security

Bombs

Explosives

Terrorism

Threats

Weapons