Patrol: Ohio highway assaults down 19 percent

7/31/2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio By one measure, road rage is on the decline in Ohio.

The State Highway Patrol says 156 assaults were reported on state-owned highways and at rest areas during the first half of this year, down 19 percent compared to the first six months of 2007.

Patrol spokeswoman Anne Ralston says the decline may be related to the drop in highway travel seen amid this year s rising gasoline prices.

Ralston says most of the assault cases resulted from angry confrontations between drivers over tailgating, crossing the double yellow line and other transgressions.

Tempers often become heated when people are fighting heavy traffic to get home from work. The patrol found that 40 percent of road-related assaults are reported between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.