Colorado road rage shootings are spiking
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Road rage shootings have spiked in Colorado over the last decade, according to an analysis of Gun Violence Archive (GVA) data by gun violence newsroom The Trace.
Why it matters: Our streets are growing deadlier.
- Gun-related violence has increased in the state and across the country.
By the numbers: Road rage shootings per million people rose in Colorado from 0.19 in 2014 to 2.9 last year — well above the national average of 1.4 — totaling 149 incidents involving a firearm.
- 37 of those were in Colorado Springs, with 18 people wounded — the 19th-highest rate in the nation.
- Denver recorded 18 incidents and 15 victims, landing at No. 39.
Zoom in: The state has experienced numerous road rage shootings in recent years, including some that have turned deadly.
- In March, a teenager was sentenced to 22 years in prison for killing a 31-year-old man in a road rage shooting on Interstate 70 in northeast Denver in 2022.
- Earlier this month, a 24-year-old was sentenced to 10 years in prison for firing multiple shots at a mother and her child in Colorado Springs last July.
What they're saying: Road rage remains an "ongoing problem" in the city, but the Denver Police Department isn't taking any specific steps to crack down on it apart from enforcing laws against reckless and aggressive driving and investigating reported incidents, a spokesperson tells us.
- "The community can have the greatest impact in preventing road rage incidents" by driving respectfully, using turn signals, allowing vehicles to merge, acknowledging kind behaviors of other drivers with a wave, and refraining from offensive gestures and making eye contact when encountering an aggressive driver, DPD says.
The big picture: Nationally, road rage shooting incidents skyrocketed over the past decade, increasing from 83 in 2014 to 456 in 2023 — a nearly 450% jump, according to The Trace's analysis.
Caveat: The GVA is a private nonprofit that produces a range of gun violence estimates based on police reports, government data, news stories and more.
- Some incidents go unreported, so the data is likely an undercount.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to add more information about DPD's response to road rage.