While highways deaths are dropping across the United States due to increased legislation on driving under the influence, seat belt laws, and distracted driving restrictions, Texas has experienced an uptick in the amount of motor vehicle accidents. Especially problematic are those accidents involving commercial trucks, which have contributed to a 51% climb in commercial vehicle accidents across the state.

Fracking Contributes to Increased Accidents

Since 2008, Texas has experienced an unforeseen level of traffic accident deaths, even surpassing the previous national leader. Many of these accidents can be attributed to the increase in fracking all over the state and the increased need for vehicles to do this work. Many of the commercial vehicle accidents that have occurred around the state have been in areas where roadways are taken up by fracking vehicles.

Fracking is when natural gas and petroleum are retrieved from rock formations. This process involves the usage of many vehicles and drivers since water needs to be brought to the fracking sites, and debris and mud need to be moved away. Further, a lot of heavy equipment needs to be moved around the area in order get the job done.

This has not only been a issue in Texas, but also in other areas where fracking has taken off. The fracking industry is taking steps to reduce the number of instances where commercial vehicles are involved in accidents, but it may be doing too little, too late.

Truck & Road Conditions Make a Difference

Recent checks by Texas police have shown that many of the trucks involved in accidents should not even be on the road. Between 27% and 30% of all commercial vehicles have problems such as defective brakes, unfit drivers, broken safety lights, and bald tires. Even with audits of commercial trucking companies increasing across the state, many of these drivers still get behind the wheel of trucks that should not be on the roadways.

Combining unsafe driving conditions with roads that are not equipped to deal with large amounts of traffic and big vehicles puts the safety of drivers in these fracking areas at risk.

If you or a loved one have been involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle, know that you have rights. If a driver was improperly licensed, driving an unsafe vehicle, or ignoring other important safety regulations, you may be entitled to compensation. Discuss you case with a car accident attorney and get the compensation you deserve!