Utah lawmakers introduce bill targeting road rage
Jan 15, 2024, 9:04 AM | Updated: 4:18 pm
A photo of the Utah State Capitol.(Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)
(Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY– Lawmakers on Utah’s Capitol Hill have introduced a new bill for the 2024 General Legislative Session. The bill takes aim at road rage drivers.
House Bill 30, sponsored by Rep. Paul Cutler, R-Centerville and co-sponsored by Rep. Andrew Stoddard, R-Sandy, seeks to do two things:
- Make it easier to track road rage on a statewide and individual basis.
- Give prosecutors more options to prosecute road rage drivers.
Sen. Todd Weiler, R- Woodscross, acts as the bill’s floor sponsor. He told KSL NewsRadio that in years past, prosecutors had to charge drivers with something like reckless driving or other charges not directed at the act of road rage.
However, Weiler said this bill allows prosecutors to give drivers a more severe citation depending on the seriousness of the incident, ranging from an enhanced citation to a felony charge.
The enhanced citations are very similar to a bill passed in 2022. It allows a misdemeanor for drivers going over 105 mph.
According to the Utah Department of Public Safety, road rage crashes rose by about 11% from 2022 to 2023.
“We’re trying to…educate our citizenry that this is unacceptable behavior and it will be severely punished,” Weiler said.
If lawmakers and Gov. Spencer Cox sign off on the bill, the new law would take effect on July 1.
