Road rage shootings on the rise in the Tampa area

TAMPA, Fla. - According to 2019 data from AAA, eighty percent of drivers admit experiencing anger and aggression behind the wheel at least once in the last 30 days. Most times, that anger comes and goes. However, in extreme cases, it can turn physical and potentially deadly.

"A lot of people are stressed out, and there's a lot of passion involved with road rage incidents, so people aren't thinking clearly when they get in that so-called bubble," said Tampa Police Officer Roy Paz, a longtime traffic officer in Tampa.

A busy afternoon on the Florida highway 

READ: Road rage shooting on I-4 kills 1, critically injures 1 in Plant City, police say

Recent data analyzed by Everytown For Gun Safety, an activist organization, found that the number of road rage shooting deaths nationwide has increased yearly since 2018. The numbers have gone from 70 in '18 to 141 in 2022. That's a 200 percent increase.

"You forget to use your turn signal. Someone gets all bent out of shape about it. They're having a bad day anyway, and it's that one little thing that's pushed them over the edge. Don't engage with those folks. They're not rational anymore," Paz said.

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In the last few weeks in the Tampa Bay area, multiple high-profile cases have occurred, including Tuesday's deadly case in Plant City. In July, Florida will remove the requirement for training to carry a concealed weapon, which critics say could add more guns to an already volatile situation.

"It is not worth it. You got a family, a job, a business, all these things. Life is good. You don't want to get dragged down into other people's bad days," said Paz.