Nearly Half of Traffic Deaths in Texas Occur in Energy Producing Areas

The number of roadway fatalities has risen in Texas’ oil and gas production areas, state transportation officials say.

Nearly half of all traffic deaths in the state now occur in energy producing locales, according to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

In 2018, 1,673 people died and more than 6,000 were seriously injured in crashes in the Barnett Shale, Eagle Ford Shale, Granite Wash, Haynesville/Bossier Shale and Permian Basin, all areas where oil and gas exploration is concentrated, TxDOT says.

Traffic deaths in these areas were up by 4% in 2018 compared to 2017.

Crash reports point to failure to control speed as the most-often cited factor in traffic crashes, followed by driver inattention due to actions such as looking at a cell phone.

Topics Texas