California led the U.S. in ‘laser strikes’ on planes in 2023. This year isn’t much better

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The Federal Aviation Administration says “laser strikes” on planes continue to be a problem nationwide, and California continues to lead the U.S. in these potentially dangerous pranks.

FAA officials said there were 855 instances of people pointing lasers at airplanes from Jan. 1 to July 31 of this year — a pace of about 1,466 for the year.

Last year, there were a record-shattering number of laser strikes on airplanes in the U.S., with 1,871, about 14%, happening over California skies, more than any other state.

While California isn’t on pace to exceed those totals from the previous year, much in part due to the FAA’s ongoing education and community outreach efforts, the numbers are still significantly higher than government officials would like them to be.

Laser at helicopter — *The crew of a helicopter belonging to a Florida sheriff’s office captured footage of a laser being pointed directly at the aircraft. (St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office)*

While it might appear to be a harmless prank, federal regulators consider laser strikes to be a “serious safety threat” for pilots and their passengers.

Since the FAA began tracking laser strikes in 2010, the lights have been blamed for more than 300 pilot injuries. Lasers can cause serious injuries to a person’s eye, including damage to the cornea. In most serious instances, they can cause temporary or even permanent vision loss.

Last year, the FAA recorded 34 pilot injuries, including four in California.

Those caught shining lasers at aircraft face FAA fines of up to $11,000 per violation and up to $30,800 for multiple incidents. Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies may also file criminal charges depending on factors including where these laser strikes occurred and what type of aircraft was targeted.

The FAA hopes to address these dangerous pranks through public outreach, education and local cooperation. Anyone who witnesses one of these laser strikes is also urged to report it to the FAA or local law enforcement.

The agency also has an interactive map that shows when and where these laser strikes happened across the nation, which it hopes will “draw attention to the dangerously high rate.”

For more information about laser strikes, click here.