Though not always terrorism-related, many of these incidents appear to be deliberate. A few common motivations include deep-rooted disgruntlements, social isolation and mental health-related issues. Some cases may even be impulsive acts in high-stress situations.
Given the accessibility of vehicles and the relative ease with which such attacks can be executed without much planning, vehicle-ramming attacks are some of the hardest to anticipate and prevent.
While car-ramming attacks are a major public safety threat, they can also be a trigger for social unrest and extremist outbursts both online and offline. The UK faced nationwide far-right rioting in August 2024, driven in large part by misinformation about the identity of an attacker who fatally stabbed three girls.
To quell speculation about the identity and the motive of the Liverpool vehicle-ramming attacker, the UK police, in an unusual move, revealed that the perpetrator was a 53-year-old white British male from the Liverpool area within hours after the attack. Police also classified the attack as non-terrorism related.
Even then, accusations of a cover-up on the real identity of the attacker started spreading online. Car-ramming incidents, especially those that occur at popular spots and with large crowds, have the potential to generate significant amounts of misinformation online, which will need to be managed.
