DENVER (KDVR) — Denver area traffic isn’t just bad – increasingly, it’s officially enraging.
The most recent results of the Colorado State Patrol’s *277 program point to a record year for the number of aggressive driving and road rage incidents. The program asks motorists to ring up state patrol when they see another driver acting dangerously on the road.
In 2022, Colorado State Patrol received 31,760 reports of aggressive driving or road rage – roughly 87 reports every day, a 4.5% increase from 2021. Officials say they received more calls for aggressive driving than for suspected impaired drivers.
Road rage is now state troopers’ single biggest concern. Over half (54%) of the Colorado State Patrol’s emergency calls were to report aggressive drivers last year.
CSP says common road rage signs reported by callers are tailgating, honking in anger, making angry gestures, passing on the right, showing a weapon, excessive speeding, weaving in and out of traffic and getting out of the vehicle to confront another driver.
The new data confirms the results of a nationwide Forbes survey done in 2022 that found Colorado had the country’s third-highest share of aggressive drivers. KDVR covered half a dozen killings related to road rage incidents through 2022.