The Real Price of Oil - Fracking Boom Sparks Spike in Traffic Fatalities
The price of a barrel of oil is constantly fluctuating, rising to a record high above $147 in July 2008 then plummeting to a record low of only $30.28 only six months later. Political unrest and peaks and troughs in the economy are often cited as determining factors in the price of oil. If the growing numbers of Texas trucking accidents associated with the hydraulic fracturing industry continues to increase, this, too, may have to be factored into the price-per-barrel of oil.
Texas traffic statistics
Nationally, in 2010, there were 2,339 truck accidents that resulted in serious injuries and 284 fatal accidents involving commercial vehicles. The total number of accidents involving commercial trucks in 2010 was 15,676. All over the country, road traffic deaths have been steadily decreasing over the past 60 years.
Since the start of the fracking boom in 2008, Texas has led the nation in motor vehicle deaths. In 2009, there were 352 traffic fatalities linked to commercial vehicles; by 2013, this figure had risen to 532, an increase of 51 percent. In 98 percent of cases, it is an occupant of a passenger vehicle that gets killed.
Triple tragedies rise
Triple tragedies are those accidents that kill three or more people. These, too, have been steadily increasing since fracking began. According to data gathered by the Houston Chronicle, the numbers of triple tragedies in 2010, 2012, and 2013 were 71 and 101, and 148, respectively. By July 2014, this number had risen to 148.
Crash data compiled by insurance companies indicates that driver fatigue is frequently a factor in these catastrophic accidents. Twelve-hour shifts running for two weeks are not uncommon in oil patch country. Oil workers often commute together following a tour. In March 2013, three workers died in a single crash while traveling home in a company van. Like the men who perished, the driver had racked up 190 hours over the previous 14 days and nights. According to a trucking accident personal injury lawyer from Houston who is representing the families of the deceased workers in a lawsuit, driving impairment from fatigue is essentially indistinguishable from driving while intoxicated.
Fatigue and federal trucking regulations
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) restricts the number of hours that a commercial driver may be allowed to work. Drivers are required to maintain a logbook of detailing their hours of service, including both driving and non-driving hours. Companies must ensure that drivers take a rest break after driving a specified number of hours.
If in the case of a trucking accident a driver or a trucking company is found to be negligent in observing federal regulations, or it can be shown that they deliberately flouted the law, then the victim or victim's family may file a legal claim for damages. In reality, proving a claim is difficult in the absence of witnesses unless the driver admits responsibility.
In any event, compensation is cold comfort. What is really required is for federal regulations to be rigidly enforced so that these tragic accidents do not occur in the first place.
