I’ve been writing for almost two years about the driving dangers created by the Texas oil boom, especially those dangers in the Eagle Ford Shale region. A new article about the increase of road deaths from the energy boom has me thinking about it again. In the article, the Karnes County Sheriff noted that historically, they used to have wrecks serious enough to require air transport of victims only a few times per month. Now, that’s happening three to four times PER WEEK.
These dangers come from all angles. First, there is danger from the sheer volume of trucks. Whenever I drive through South East Texas, I’m just shocked at the number of trucks on the road.
Second, where there are profits for pressure, trucking companies take shortcuts. In the recent article, Karnes County officers acknowledge that the truckers are violating safety rules, including driving more hours than the law allows. The Karnes County Sheriff cited two recent wrecks between school buses and trucks where the truck drivers acknowledged that they were just too tired.
Finally, the increased truck traffic is actually creating dangers by causing the roads to deteriorate. The Texas Trucking Association admits that many of these roads weren’t designed for the amount of truck traffic being seen on those roads today. The roads can’t handle the traffic, and it’s leading to all kinds of dangerous situations.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any good solutions for this problem, and it’s only a problem that will get bigger and bigger as the amount of miles continue to increase.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a trucking or automobile wreck, please let us help. Call (512)476-4944 to set up an appointment.
