Fatal car ramming attacks in public places around the world have refocused attention on the use of vehicles as weapons.

In the most recent incident, several people were killed when a car was driven into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday. The festival, Lapu Lapu Day, is held annually by the city's Filipino community to celebrate a national hero who stood up against Spanish colonization.

A 30-year-old man was arrested following the attack. Though a motive has not been established, local police have said they are certain the attack was not terrorist in nature.

But, no matter what the motive, as with other recent attacks, the use of vehicles as weapons leaves open the question: Why the car?

Cars' size, speed and maneuverability also make them potentially deadly.

In recent years they have been more frequently used to kill or maim people. Cars became prominent as a weapon in terrorist attacks during a series of incidents in Israel amid ongoing conflict with local militant groups there during the early 2010s.

The use of vehicles to ram public spaces was also encouraged by the so-called "Islamic State" group in the mid-2010s. In Europe, attacks in Nice — where 86 people were killed in a truck attack — Westminster Bridge in London,

© Deutsche Welle