COLORADO, USA — Dispatchers for the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) fielded nearly 30,000 calls related to road rage or aggressive driving in 2023 which accounted for more than half of the calls to the *CSP tip line.
CSP launched the *CSP (*277) tip line in July 1998 to allow drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians to report “real-time” aggressive drivers and suspected DUI drivers. In 2023, calls to the number for aggressive drivers surpassed the number of calls regarding suspected impairment.
Emergency dispatchers answered 55,107 total *CSP calls in 2023 with 54% of them, or 29,921 calls related to road rage or aggressive driving. Overall *CSP calls declined by approximately 4% from 2022 (57,899 total), but the percentage of road rage or aggressive driving calls remained flat at 54% from 2022, when 31,760 calls about aggressive driving were made.
“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,” said Chief Matthew C. Packard, Colorado State Patrol. “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.”
Aggressive driving behaviors can include:
- Excessive speed
- Tailgating
- Honking in anger
- Making angry gestures
- Passing on the right
- Showing a weapon
- Weaving in and out of traffic
- Getting out of the vehicle to confront another driver
CSP called the above behaviors "extremely dangerous" and encouraged witnesses to find a safe spot to pull over and call *CSP with a description and location of the vehicle.
Troopers take a low-tolerance approach to the top fatal crash factors, including lane violations, impaired driving and speeding and launched a yearlong campaign called “Drive Safe.”
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