Written By Jordan S. Levine | Denver Injury & Accident Lawyer
Founding Partner, Levine Law
Last reviewed: August 2026
Colorado State Patrol dispatchers now field more calls about aggressive driving than about suspected drunk driving. In 2025, the agency’s *CSP (*277) hotline logged 58,117 total calls, and 57.3% of them — 33,387 reports — involved road rage or aggressive driving, up from 54% of calls just two years earlier (Colorado State Patrol). Most of these incidents end with nothing worse than a raised voice or an angry gesture. Some end in a crash, and a smaller number involve threats, slurs, or other language connected to who the other driver believes the victim to be.
A road-rage incident can involve more than vehicle damage or physical injuries. If another driver uses threats, slurs, or other bias-motivated language during a confrontation, those statements may become relevant to a criminal investigation or civil claim, depending on the circumstances.
Under Colorado law, a bias-motivated crime requires more than offensive or discriminatory language alone. Colorado Revised Statutes § 18-9-121 generally applies when a person acts with the intent to intimidate or harass another person because of a protected characteristic and knowingly causes bodily injury, damages property, or places the person in fear of imminent lawless action through words or conduct likely to produce bodily injury or property damage. The general assembly broadened this standard in 2021, clarifying that bias only needs to be part of a person’s motivation — not the sole reason for the conduct — for the statute to apply.
That distinction is important after a road-rage crash. Documenting what happened, what was said, and what evidence exists can help investigators and, when appropriate, attorneys evaluate the incident.
What to Do After a Road-Rage Crash
Safety comes first. If anyone is injured or you believe you are in immediate danger, call 911 and move to a safer location when it is reasonably safe to do so.
Colorado law requires drivers involved in crashes resulting in injury, serious bodily injury, death, or property damage to stop and fulfill specified reporting duties, including providing information and notifying the appropriate police authority.
If you are able to do so safely, preserve as much information about the incident as possible.
This may include:
- The other driver’s name and contact information
- License plate and vehicle information
- Insurance information
- Photos or video of the vehicles and crash scene
- Road conditions, traffic signals, and surrounding areas
- Contact information for witnesses
- Police report or incident information
If bias-motivated language was part of the confrontation, documenting that information as accurately as possible can be particularly important.
Document What Was Said
If the other driver made threats, slurs, or other statements connected to your race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or transgender identity, write down what you remember as soon as you are safely able to do so.
The evidence does not have to be recorded immediately to be relevant. However, contemporaneous notes, recordings, witness accounts, and other evidence created close to the time of the incident may help preserve details while they are still fresh.
Consider documenting:
- The specific words used: Record the exact words to the best of your recollection rather than changing them into a general description.
- When and where they were said: Note approximately when the statements occurred and where the vehicles or people were located.
- Who said them: Record the other driver’s description, vehicle, license plate, and direction of travel.
- What happened immediately before and afterward: Explain what led to the confrontation and what happened after the statements were made.
- Witness information: Ask willing witnesses for their names and contact information and note what they observed or heard.
- Available recordings: Preserve dashcam footage, cellphone video, photographs, text messages, or other records that may capture the incident.
If you do not understand the language used, ask a qualified interpreter or another appropriate person to help you understand it rather than guessing at its meaning.
Why Language May Matter
Words used during a road-rage confrontation can provide evidence of a person’s intent, particularly when they are connected to conduct covered by Colorado’s bias-motivated-crime statute.
However, offensive or discriminatory language by itself does not automatically establish a bias-motivated crime under C.R.S. § 18-9-121. The circumstances, the speaker’s intent, and what the person did or threatened to do are important.
For example, Colorado law addresses situations in which a person, because of a protected characteristic and with the required intent, knowingly causes bodily injury, causes property damage, or uses words or conduct that knowingly place another person in fear of imminent lawless action likely to produce bodily injury or property damage.
The statements may also be relevant to a civil claim. Colorado law provides a civil cause of action for actual damages, costs, and expenses caused by a bias-motivated crime described in § 18-9-121(2), and a criminal conviction is not a prerequisite to bringing that civil action. In qualifying cases, punitive damages may also be available.
How Crash Reports and Civil Claims Work Together
A road-rage incident may result in both a law enforcement investigation and a separate civil claim.
A police or crash report may document:
- The circumstances of the collision
- Statements made by the people involved
- Witness information
- Vehicle and insurance information
- Visible injuries or property damage
- Other evidence available to the investigating officer
A civil claim, meanwhile, may address losses such as:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Property damage
- Other compensable losses
- Ongoing medical or rehabilitation needs
The two processes are related but not identical. A police report does not by itself determine civil liability or guarantee a particular outcome in an insurance claim or lawsuit.
For that reason, it is important to preserve your own evidence rather than relying entirely on the official report.
Case Snapshot: When Documentation Made the Difference
One result from Levine Law’s own case history shows why prompt documentation matters, even outside the bias-motivated context. A client was struck when another driver ran a red light, breaking the client’s leg. Clear evidence connecting the crash to the other driver’s traffic violation — the kind of documentation described throughout this article — helped the firm secure a $1.3 million settlement on the client’s behalf.
This particular case did not involve bias-motivated conduct, but it illustrates the same underlying principle: when a driver’s actions, words, or violations are captured accurately and close to the time of the incident, that evidence can directly shape how a claim is resolved.
Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a future outcome. Every case is unique and depends on its own facts and legal circumstances.
Where Road Rage Can Occur in the Denver Area
Road rage can occur anywhere drivers encounter congestion, sudden lane changes, merging traffic, or other stressful driving conditions. Busy routes in and around Denver, including I-25, I-70, Colfax Avenue, and other major corridors, can experience heavy traffic and frequent interactions between motorists.
Statewide, the trend is measurable. The Colorado State Patrol’s *CSP hotline data shows aggressive-driving and road-rage reports climbing from 54% of all calls in 2023 to 57.3% in 2025. Separately, Colorado Department of Transportation figures reported by CBS News Colorado show serious injuries and fatalities from aggressive-driving crashes roughly doubling over a recent five-year span.
However, there is no reliable basis for saying that particular Denver-area roads are more likely to involve bias-motivated road-rage incidents specifically. The important point is that Colorado’s laws governing crashes and bias-motivated conduct apply regardless of which roadway the incident occurs on.
When Evidence Becomes More Important
Additional evidence may become particularly important when:
- The other driver disputes what happened.
- The driver’s account differs from witness accounts.
- Bias-motivated statements are denied or disputed.
- The crash resulted in significant injuries.
- There is substantial vehicle or property damage.
- Insurance companies disagree about responsibility.
- Multiple drivers or witnesses were involved.
Keep related records together, including:
- Police and crash reports
- Photographs and video
- Witness information
- Medical records and bills
- Repair estimates and invoices
- Insurance correspondence
- Notes documenting statements made during the incident
Organizing these materials can make it easier to explain what happened and identify gaps in the available evidence.
When to Seek Legal Guidance
If a road-rage collision involves serious injuries, significant property damage, disputed responsibility, or potentially bias-motivated conduct, determining what evidence matters can become more complicated.
An experienced Denver car accident lawyer may be able to review the available records, explain how Colorado law may apply to the circumstances, and help you understand your options for pursuing compensation.
This may be particularly important when an incident potentially involves both a personal injury claim and conduct that could fall within Colorado’s bias-motivated-crime laws.
What to Do After a Bias-Related Road-Rage Incident
The most important steps are straightforward:
- Get to safety. Call 911 if you are injured or believe you are in danger.
- Preserve evidence. Take photographs and save available video when it is safe to do so.
- Document the statements. Write down the specific words used and the circumstances surrounding them as soon as possible.
- Identify witnesses. Save their names and contact information.
- Seek medical care. Get evaluated for injuries and keep your medical records.
- Report the crash. Follow the applicable Colorado reporting requirements and cooperate with responding law enforcement. Crashes without a responding officer can also be filed through Colorado’s online crash-reporting portal.
- Keep your records organized. Save police reports, insurance communications, medical documents, repair records, and your own notes in one place.
- Consider legal guidance. If the incident involves serious injuries, disputed facts, or potentially bias-motivated conduct, a lawyer can help you understand the available legal options.
Final Thoughts
A road-rage crash involving bias-motivated language can raise issues beyond the ordinary questions of who caused the collision and how much property was damaged. The specific words used, the circumstances in which they were spoken, the speaker’s intent, and any resulting threats, injuries, or property damage may all be relevant.
Colorado law does not treat every offensive statement as a bias-motivated crime, but qualifying conduct can carry both criminal and civil consequences.
Reporting the crash, documenting the exact statements as accurately as possible, preserving available evidence, and keeping thorough records can help create a clearer account of what happened. If the incident results in serious injuries or raises questions about liability or potential bias-motivated conduct, seeking legal guidance can help you understand your rights and options under Colorado law.
Authorities & Sources
This article was reviewed against the following primary and government sources:
- Colorado Revised Statutes § 18-9-121 — Bias-Motivated Crimes (full statutory text, Justia)
- SB21-280 (2021) — Colorado General Assembly amendment clarifying that bias motivation “in whole or in part” satisfies the statute
- Colorado Revised Statutes §§ 42-4-1601 to 42-4-1606 — Accidents and Accident Reports (driver duties after a crash)
- Colorado DMV — Report a Crash (official online crash-reporting portal)
- Colorado State Patrol — *CSP aggressive-driving and road-rage call data (2025)
- U.S. Department of Justice — Hate Crime Statistics for Colorado
