New Utah road rage law targets aggravated drivers
On July 1, 2024, Utah State Legislature implemented a new law against road rage driving in the state of Utah.
On July 1, 2024, Utah State Legislature implemented a new law against road rage driving in the state of Utah. This law will take away drivers’ vehicles and enforce drivers to pay high fees if convicted of road rage.
The Utah Department of Highway Safety shared the definition of road rage is the commission of a criminal offense with the intent to endanger or to intimidate while driving.
“There have been several high-profile cases in the last few years, of people threatening other motorists. Even brandishing guns and shooting at them,” Provo Police public information officer Janna-Lee Holland said.
According to the Highway Safety Communications manager, Jason Mettmann, there were more than 500 dispatch calls related to road rage incidents in 2020. In 2023, there were at least 750 of these calls.
Utah’s Highway Safety found that aggressive driving had increased by 19.3% in 2023. Crash frequencies had also increased by 4% in that year, encouraging the new Road Rage Law.
This increase in road rage has caused great alarm throughout the state. “It’s scary if it’s inciting people to call 911,” Mettmann said.
Officer Mettmann said it is too early to tell how well this law has taken effect after a month, but if drivers are caught in an event of road rage, the top priority is to separate themselves from the event. However, dangers on Utah roads are not just confined to aggravated driving behaviors.
Data
According to the Utah Department of Highway Safety, the summer started out with lower-than-expected fatality statistics. However, as of July 16, there have been 136 driving fatalities in Utah.
Mettmann speculated that this increase in dangerous driving possibly stems from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the world was in lock down, roads were subsequently more open and “people felt they were more free.”
The Provo Police Department has lamented over the increased sense of danger on Utah roads in recent years.
“In late 2023, Provo had just one fatal traffic accident. While every loss of life is tragic, that number pales in comparison to the 31 traffic fatalities that occurred within Utah County” Holland shared.
As of mid-July, the Highway Safety Office tallied more than 34,000 crashes in the state in 2024. More than 70% of these crashes involved property damage and nearly 30% resulted in injury. They have also counted at least 12 motorcycle fatalities since Memorial Day.
“Zero fatalities is not a lofty goal,” Mettmann said. However, there is a long way to go for Utah drivers to reach that goal.
Utah road conditions
There are trends in these crashes, particularly with groups such as teens, older drivers, distraction speeding and even pedestrian-related accidents.
When looking at Utah County, the Utah Department of Public Safety added that the top factors for crashes are when drivers fail to yield the right of way, staying in the proper lanes, drivers ignoring traffic signals, reckless driving and improper turning.
These top factors all relate to how the driver is behaving while behind the wheel. Mettmann urged drivers to remember that poor driving is always a choice.
Perhaps the most focused form of reckless driving that both the Highway Safety Office and the Provo Police have cautioned against is speeding.
Provo Police has shared that speeding both increases the chances of crashing and the severity of the crash itself.