Utah lawmakers drive forward with “road rage” legislation

Utah is one step closer to defining and prosecuting drivers for “road rage incidents.”

On Wednesday afternoon, lawmakers considered the “road rage” amendments — enhancing the punishment for drivers that commit a criminal offense in “response to an incident that occurs or escalates upon a roadway” with the “intent to endanger or intimidate an individual in another vehicle.”

The amendments would allow an officer to impound a vehicle without a warrant if there was “probable cause” that it was a road rage incident. If the person used a firearm, the officer would be required to impound the vehicle.

The amendments also clarify that in cases of aggravated assault a motor vehicle is “a deadly weapon.” If someone commits two road rage offenses within 12 months, the person’s license would be revoked. The amendments would not only send a message about the severity of “road rage,” but also allow the state to better track and report incidents, argued the bill’s sponsor Rep. Paul Cutler, R-Centerville.

Lawmakers stressed the importance of a public education campaign to accompany the legislation. Hillary Koellner, the state Department of Public Safety public education campaign lead, shared campaigns already underway to convey the message that “road rage can wreck you.” Koellner said the target audience for the public campaigning is men who are between 16 and 39 years old. Men are involved or cause about five times more road incidents than women, Koellner said.

In 2017 there were 10 fatal crashes due to aggressive driving in Utah. In 2022 the number more than doubled to 24, The Tribune previously reported. Last year, 33 drivers brandished a weapon on Utah roads.

In June, a 30-year-old Eagle Mountain man faced charges for killing two people — Rodney Michal Salm and Michaela Himmleberger — with his vehicle . Rodney Salm’s brother, Peter Salm, spoke in favor of the road rage amendments on Wednesday.

“It’s turned our world upside down,” Salm told lawmakers. “It’s tragic, it’s irreversible.”

As recently as Nov. 8, another incident happened. A man was wounded and another person was arrested after an apparent road rage shooting Wednesday afternoon at Antelope Island State Park, authorities said.

The amendments passed favorably out of committee.

“I think we need to have education programs,” Salm said, “I think we need to have laws that get people’s attention.”