Over the past couple of years, Texas has been undergoing a major drilling boom, after large reserves of oil and gas were discovered back in 2008, which resulted in a huge job and population growth. This is obviously great news for the state’s economy, but this fracking frenzy has also had a significant negative impact, as it has led to a surge in traffic-related deaths, with a large portion of all highway fatalities that have occurred during the oil boom being caused by commercial drivers.
Up until 2008, traffic fatality rates in Texas have been falling for several years in a row, but in 2009, car crash-related deaths started to climb, seeing an 8% increase over the next four years, rising to 3,378 in 2013, as compared to 3,122 in 2009, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. These numbers have made Texas a leading state in motor vehicle deaths, surpassing California. Traffic deaths related to crashes involving commercial vehicles, such as trucks, vans, and tractor-trailers, have increased by a whopping 51% over the same period, amid the increased need for transportation of workers and materials to and from oil and gas wells.
In addition to the growing number of commercial vehicle on the state’s road, the poor condition that Texas highways are in is also being cited as a reason for the deteriorated road safety. Similar to many other states, Texas has reduced transportation spending over the past couple of years significantly, leaving less money for road construction and maintenance, which is one of the key factors for ensuring traffic safety. Roads that were built a few decades ago are not in a condition to handle the increased volume of heavy-duty vehicles that go along them, putting them under a lot of strain and causing an estimated $2 billion in damages, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. State lawmakers are currently discussing a proposition for taking $1.4 billion of oil and gas revenue and using them for highway construction and maintenance, which should help repair roads in counties that are affected the most by the increased traffic of drilling trucks.
On top of looking for ways to secure extra funds for road projects, authorities in Texas have tightened regulations on commercial vehicles, in an effort to take trucks that are not in safe operating condition off the roads. The Department of Public safety has enhanced controls and inspections of trucks in Texas, and have found that about a third of them don’t meet safety standards, with many of them operating with malfunctioning safety lights, defective brakes, and other serious issues.
However, neither tougher safety regulations nor occasional financial injections into the Texas transportation fund will resolve the state’s road safety issues, and a steady revenue for infrastructure seems to be the only solution, with some lawmakers demanding an increased gas tax and higher vehicle registration fees, which is always a painful and difficult political solution, and it’s likely to face a strong opposition from the general public.