Road Rage Shootings On The Rise And Many Are Deadly

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Road rage shootings are on the rise across South Florida and many of them are deadly.

While it’s not known yet whether a woman, who remains on life support after being shot multiple times while driving on I-95 early Monday morning is a victim of road rage, the incident highlights the increasing number of shootings on South Florida highways.

The victim in this case was traveling northbound when another driver opened fire and took off. The shooter remains on the loose.

It’s the latest in more than a dozen shootings on South Florida highways since last June.

Here are a couple of maps that show how far-reaching these shootings have been in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in recent months.

Each one of the dots show a different shooting on a highway and these are just the ones that have been reported.

MIAMI-DADE

1/8/2022: Florida Turnpike SB north of NW 199 Street.
1/6/2022: SR 826 EB at approximately 67 Avenue.
11/23/2021: SR 836 in the area of NW 72 Avenue.
11/14/2021: I-95 SB in the area of NW 81 Street.
11/9/2021: SR 826 SB just south of Bird Road.
9/17/2021: I-95 SB just north of NW 125 Street.
6/21/2021: I-95 SB in the area of NW 151 Street.

BROWARD:

1/22/2022: I-75 and Sheridan Street.
12/2/2021: Florida Turnpike SB at Griffin Road.
11/27/2021: Florida’s Turnpike just south of Griffin Road).
11/11/2021: Sawgrass Expressway SB just north of US-441.
10/22/2021: I-75 in the area of State Road 822 (Sheridan Street).
10/8/2021: I-95 SB in the area of Hallandale Beach Boulevard.
9/25/2021: Florida Turnpike SB at Griffin Road.
8/18/2021: I-95 SB entrance ramp from Davie Blvd.
7/31/2021: Florida Turnpike SB in area of Griffin Road.

Investigators have called most of the shootings road rage incidents.

According to Gun Violence Archive’s database, Everytown Research & Policy determined that the number of road rage injuries and deaths have increased yearly since 2018. Over the last year, an average of 42 people per month have been shot and killed or wounded in road rage shootings, across the country.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

66% of traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving.
37% of aggressive driving incidents involve a firearm.
Males under the age of 19 are the most likely to exhibit road rage.
Half of drivers who are on the receiving end of an aggressive behavior, such as horn honking, a rude gesture, or tailgating admit to responding with aggressive behavior themselves.
2% of drivers admit to trying to run an aggressor off the road.

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Everytown Research & Policy states it’s not known what’s driving the increase in road rage shootings, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought increased stress into people’s lives and exacerbated underlying ones. During the pandemic, there was also a record increase in gun sales and a national increase in shootings. This data strongly suggests that these changes have played out on streets and highways, too.

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