Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- The Utah Highway Patrol has reported 42 road rage incidents since the enactment of a new road rage law, though it's unclear if the law has made a significant impact.
- The law aims to gather official data on such incidents, as previously, there was no formal data collection.
- It also defines road rage, enhances penalties, and provides funds for public awareness campaigns to discourage road rage crimes.
SALT LAKE CITY — It's been three months since a new road rage law went into effect. Since then, the Utah Highway Patrol said the agency has investigated 42 incidents, including a deadly incident that took place Monday morning.
KSL-TV asked Sen. Todd Weiler, the Senate sponsor of HB30, if he believes the bill has made a difference in combating road rage across the state, but it may be too soon to tell.
"It seems like ever since COVID, it's been getting worse. But we don't know for sure because of the data problem," Weiler said.
The main component of the new law, Weiler said, is to collect official data on road rage incidents for local law enforcement. "What we found out was there was no data," he said. "Prior to the passage of this bill, in 2024, if someone was involved in a road rage incident, they might get cited for speeding or improper lane usage, or aggressive driving or even disorderly conduct," he said.
The law defines what a road rage incident is and enhances penalties for people who commit road rage crimes. If a driver is charged with a class B misdemeanor, it is then designated as a class A misdemeanor. A driver could also face harsher fines, have their license revoked or suspended, and even have their vehicle impounded depending on the crime.
"It's just hard to make something double or triple-illegal. And also, we can't legislate good behavior," Weiler said. "Some people are going to be bad actors or have bad days. We just have to have laws that are set up to handle that. But unfortunately, we can't just pass a law to make everyone be nice and civil. I wish we could."
Weiler said making tweaks on the bill next session is a possibility, but road rage crimes committed by drivers are already illegal. "I think, from a legal standpoint, we've done everything we can with the law. I think we need people to be better citizens at moments."
A UHP spokesperson said its statistics only measure incidents troopers are investigating and do not include incidents investigated by local law enforcement.
The bill also provides funding for a public awareness campaign to discourage drivers from committing road rage crimes, which UHP said it is working on. UHP partnered with Zero Fatalities on a separate campaign back in January.
Below are tips to keep in mind if you encounter a road rage incident:
- Stay safe; do not engage or escalate situation
- Avoid eye contact — do not react to provocative gestures or words
- Keep a safe distance between yourself and the aggressive driver in order to allow you to react to sudden maneuvers.
- If you're feeling threatened or unsafe, call 911
- Exit the road if necessary, drive to a public place or a police station
- Document details and try to remember to write down aggressive driver's license plate numbers.
