Colorado ranks fourth in country for road rage incidents

Dara Korn
·2 min read
2

(COLORADO) — According to a report by Consumer Affairs, Colorado ranks number four in the top states with the most road rage in the country, behind Louisiana, New Mexico, and Montana.

According to the report, released on April 30, 2024, congested roads across the state, especially in large cities, appeared to contribute to the higher average of road rage incidents.

Consumer Affairs reported that accidents with fatalities due to aggressive or careless driving were at 7.41 per 100,000 residents, and road rage incidents with a gun were nearly double the national average, with, 0.81 per 100,000 residents, additionally, 61.9% of accidents were reported as the result of aggressive or careless driving.

According to the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), in 2023 they received more calls to report aggressive drivers than to report suspected impairment. That year, emergency dispatchers answered 55,107 total CSP calls, with 54% related to road rage or aggressive driving.

“When a fellow motorist cuts you off, tailgates, or makes a rude gesture, you may be tempted to respond in kind, but don’t. Anger can quickly turn to violence,” stated Chief Matthew C. Packard of CSP. “Your best response is to keep your cool, let the aggressive driver move on, and do not engage. It’s simply not worth your energy or the risk.”

CSP stated that while many behaviors indicate road rage or aggressive driving, the most recognizable are:

  • Excessive speeding

  • Tailgating

  • Honking in anger

  • Making angry gestures

  • Passing on the right

  • Showing a weapon

  • Weaving in and out of traffic

  • Blocking another vehicle from changing lanes

  • Getting out of the car to confront another driver

CSP encourages those who witness such behavior to find a safe spot to pull over and call *CSP (*277) with a description and location of the vehicle.

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), it is mostly up to the driver to prevent road rage incidents, and studies show that the best way to do so is to calm down. One solution was to use the “5x5x5” rule by thinking “Will this matter in five minutes, five hours, or five days?”

Other solutions included actions like pulling over and stopping the car in a safe location to calm down, showing empathy for the other driver by considering what may be stressing them, or thinking about the consequences of dangerous actions.

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