Vehicle-Ramming Attack

A vehicle-ramming attack is an assault in which a perpetrator deliberately drives a vehicle into a building, a crowd of people, or another vehicle, using the vehicle itself as a weapon rather than an explosive or firearm. Security analysts have identified it as a tactic that gained prominence among terrorist actors during the 2010s because it requires little training, relies on a widely available object that raises no suspicion, and can inflict mass casualties with minimal planning; the Federal Bureau of Investigation has noted that it offers an accessible method of attack to perpetrators with limited access to weapons or explosives. High-profile examples include the 2016 Nice truck attack in France, the 2017 Charlottesville car attack during the Unite the Right rally, and the 2017 New York City truck attack, all of which prompted cities to install hostile-vehicle-mitigation infrastructure such as steel bollards and permanent barriers around pedestrian areas and transit hubs. The tactic has also been used outside a terrorism context, in road-rage incidents and in attacks on protesters blocking public roadways.