More data is likely needed to determine whether the new traffic violence law is making a difference

SALT LAKE CITY — It's been three months since a new law against road rage came into force. Since then, the Utah Highway Patrol said the agency has investigated 42 incidents, including a fatal incident that occurred Monday morning.

KSL TV asked Senator Todd Weiler, the Senate sponsor of House Bill 30, if he believes the bill has made a difference in combating road rage across the state, but that may become apparent soon.

“It seems like things are getting worse since COVID. 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 traffic violence incidents for local law enforcement. “What we found was there was no data,” he said. “Prior to the passage of this bill in 2024, someone involved in a road rage incident could be charged with speeding, improper lane use, aggressive driving or even disorderly conduct,” he said.

The law defines what a road rage incident is and increases penalties for those who commit road rage. If a driver is charged with a Class B misdemeanor, it is classified as a Class A misdemeanor, and so on and so forth. Depending on the crime, a driver may also face higher fines, the revocation or suspension of their driver's license, and even the impoundment of their vehicle.

“It’s just hard to make something doubly or triple illegal. And besides, we can’t legislate good behavior,” Weiler said. “Some people are going to be bad actors or have bad days. We simply need to pass laws to deal with it. But unfortunately we can't just pass a law to make everyone nice and polite. I wish we could.”

Weiler said it is possible to make changes to the bill next session, but road crimes committed by drivers are already illegal. “I think from a legal perspective we did everything we could with the law. I think we need people to be better citizens in certain moments.”

A UHP spokesperson said their statistics only measure incidents they investigate and do not include incidents investigated by local law enforcement.

The bill also includes funding for a public awareness campaign to deter drivers from committing road rage crimes, which UHP says it is working on. UHP previously partnered with Zero Fatalities on a separate campaign in January.

Below are tips to keep in mind if you get involved in a traffic accident:

• Stay safe, do not intervene or escalate the situation
• Avoid eye contact and do not react to provocative gestures or words
• Maintain a safe distance from the aggressive driver to be able to react to sudden maneuvers.
• If you feel threatened or unsafe, call 911
• If necessary, get off the road and drive to a public place or police station
• Document the details and remember to write down the license plates of aggressive drivers.