According to a report released by the research journal, Consumer Affairs, Colorado is the third worst state when it comes to drivers with road rage. This report suggests that Colorado drivers are getting angrier, as last year Consumer Affairs ranked them number 4. The report, which came out last week on May 1, ranked the states based on a number of factors. The main factors in play wee fatal crashes that involved careless/reckless driving, violations and tickets for dangerous driving, and road incidents that involve gun violence. While road rage is seen in far more ways when on the road, they are often more mundane and left unreported, so there is no way to account for these actions.
Ahead of Colorado are Louisiana and New Mexico.
Louisiana’s numbers came in very high, earning a perfect score on the Consumer Affairs road rage measurer. This was their second year in a row at the top of the list. The state had numbers that showed that nearly 60% of the fatal crashes in the state had aggressive and careless driving as a part of the problem. This was the highest rate of the United States by far. Furthermore, it had the second highest rate of violations for aggressive and careless driving. Because of the high frequency of road rage issues, Louisiana does have some strict consequences in place. First time offenders can spend up to 90 days in jail and second time offenders can spend up to six months in jail.
New Mexico trailed Louisiana by a slim margin.
This southwestern state is also holding its same position as last year, ranking number two for two years in a row. The state has a rate of traffic incidents that involve gun violence that is four times the national rate. Overall, the state does have high numbers of gun violence incidents, both on the road and not on the road.
Colorado had 83.19 points out of 100 according to Consumer Affairs’ metric.
Colorado largely earned its high ranking spot due to its number of violations involving aggressive driving. They have the highest number per 100,000 people, with a rate eight times higher than the national average. This rate increased over the last year, which is what led to Colorado jumping from 4th to 3rd.
Officials are trying to improve Colorado’s driving conditions. Many cities are passing local laws to crack down on dangerous driving. Statewide laws are also being passed with the hope of improving the roads. These laws include, but are not limited to, speed enforcement through street cameras and harsher consequences for cell phone use while driving.
