{"id":36182,"date":"2014-04-22T11:23:36","date_gmt":"2014-04-22T16:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=36182"},"modified":"2014-04-22T11:28:58","modified_gmt":"2014-04-22T16:28:58","slug":"traffic-fatalities-still-on-the-rise-in-west-texas-as-drilling-surges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2014\/04\/22\/traffic-fatalities-still-on-the-rise-in-west-texas-as-drilling-surges\/","title":{"rendered":"Traffic Fatalities Still on the Rise in West Texas as Drilling Surges"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Heavier<\/a>

(TxDOT)<\/p>

Heavier truck traffic in the booming Permian Basin has authorities looking for solutions to keep the roads safe<\/p><\/div>\n

From KXWT West Texas Public Radio:\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/h4>\n

If you follow\u00a0local headlines<\/a>\u00a0in Midland-Odessa, it seems like there\u2019s a fatal car crash every couple of days.<\/p>\n

According to the Texas Department of Transportation,<\/i>\u00a0the oil-booming Permian Basin\u00a0saw a 13 percent increase in roadside deaths<\/a>\u00a0from 2012-2013. Last week, a victims\u2019 rights coalition in Midland\u00a0held a panel discussion<\/a>\u00a0on how to deal with the region\u2019s increasingly dangerous roads.<\/p>\n

Organizers of the event say most of those wrecks stem from the \u201c3 D\u2019s\u201d \u2013 drugs, drinking and distracted driving. But the oil and gas boom in the Basin is compounding those dangers: simply put, there\u2019s just more traffic and bigger trucks on the road than before.<\/p>\n\n

TxDOT\u2019s been trying to tackle the problem with radio and TV ads like\u00a0this one,<\/a>\u00a0but education only goes so far.<\/p>\n

\"Truck<\/a>

(TxDOT)<\/p>

Truck traffic in the Permian Basin has noticeably increased with the oil and gas boom over the past few years.<\/p><\/div>\n

Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter says the best way to keep the roads safe is simply to put more boots on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cHigh visibility is the only thing that I can think of that will slow people down,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Painter says his office is focusing on traffic hot spots in the county \u2013 places like Greenwood, SH 349 and US 191.<\/p>\n

But even with increased police presence, Painter says it\u2019s hard to keep the roads safe because of the number of inexperienced drivers getting behind the wheels of big trucks.<\/p>\n

He says some oil and gas companies are hiring young drivers with little-to-no professional experience:<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople that are moving into the community that think that the truck-driving industry is the best thing going, and they\u2019re going to make a lot of money at it, and they don\u2019t know how to handle a truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

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