State Troopers: Drivers Can Stop Road Rage
DENVER (CBS4)- After three accidents in the Denver metro area have been connected to road rage in just a span of four days, state troopers are advising drivers to avoid those situations.
The most recent incident was along Interstate 70 near Vail which ended in gunfire. Police arrested Jose Serrano-Lerma and Chelsey Jacobs for their roles in the alleged road rage incident.
"He pulled out a firearm from within the car, loaded it up and unloaded one round into the victim's vehicle," said Eagle County District Attorney Bruce Brown.
On Saturday, a motorcyclist in Aurora was seriously injured in an accident that police say stemmed from a dispute with a passenger in another vehicle, Michael Hall.
Jason Pfeiffer and his family witnessed the crash, "I saw the passenger reach his arm over towards the steering wheel and at that point the car took a sharp right into the motorcyclist."
On Sunday, investigators say Carrie Marolf, angry at another driver on 6th Avenue in Lakewood, rolled her own vehicle and injured three others.
Colorado State Trooper Nate Reid said aggressive driving is a long-standing issue, "Obviously this has been going on for a long time."
Last year drivers used *CSP to report more than 40,000 road rage or aggressive situations in the Denver metro area.
Reid said when emotions flare on the road, it's important that drivers know how to react to diffuse the situation.
"If you feel the situation escalating that you need to get yourself and whoever is with you, your family, out of whatever danger that may be coming along and does that mean pulling over on the shoulder? Does that mean getting off at the next exit, going down the ramp, coming back up the ramp, pulling onto a side street? Ultimately we need to get in control of our emotions," said Reid.
Drivers can dial *CSP anywhere in the state of Colorado to report an aggressive driver. A driver with multiple reports is issued a warning but can eventually lose their license.
