Permian Basin Truck Accidents

Permian Basin

Permian Basin Information

The Permian Basin is an oil and gas production area in West Texas that stretches into New Mexico.

This area is 250 miles wide and 300 miles long, and produced 280 million barrels of oil in 2011.

Population Boom has led to an Increase in Traffic Fatalities in the Permian Basin

Southwest Permian Basin Declared Nation’s Largest Oil Production Center

The Permian Basin oil field work has prompted a great deal of workers to relocate to areas that are not sufficiently developed to support large influxes of residents.  As such, many workers are paying more than they should for family homes, or are electing to have extremely long commutes to areas where living expenses are more affordable. Tired drivers on the road for long hours have increased the likelihood of a traffic accident in this area to 12x the national average.

West Texas Oil Boom Creates Housing Shortage and Other Issues

The Permian Basin accounts for 14% of the nation’s oil production. In Midland the population has grown 8% in the last two years. Region wide there has been a drastic increase in road accidents around Midland and Odessa.

Vehicle Registrations Continue to Rise

More than 11,000 vehicles were registered in Ector County, Texas between 2012 and 2013; yet it is believed that this number is an understated representation of the number of people who have moved to the area recently. With this increase in traffic has also come an increase in traffic fatalities.

Ups and Downs of the Boom

The Texas oil boom has brought jobs and growth to many rural areas of Texas; but it has not come without a cost. Rural areas are facing a housing boom, schools are becoming overcrowded with insufficient teachers, and roads have become more dangerous.

New Campaign Looks to Decrease Industrial Accidents on Roads

The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that driving related accidents account for 40% of the deaths in the oil and gas industry, most of the these from workers in their personal cars and service vehicles.

Technology Addresses Driver Safety in Oil, Gas Industry

Oil industry workers frequently travel between well sites, drive on rural roads, use seatbelts less frequently and work long and irregular hours. The oil industry has the second highest death rate associated with motor vehicle accidents.

Eternal Vigilance

As a result of the oil boom there are more inexperienced CDL, SUV, car and truck drivers on the roads. The president of American Safety Services reports that traffic in Midland/Odessa is “unbelievable,” on the interstate as well as highly travelled roads in and around the city.

UT System to make $1 Billion in oil, gas revenue this year from production in Permian Basin

The recent oil boom in West Texas has brought new jobs, and booming population. In addition to limited supplies available at grocery stores, traffic on roads has increased significantly. Midland Mayor Wes Perry believes that the oil boom is a result of technological development, and as such this oil boom is different from those of the past; even if the price of oil falls it will still be economically feasible to produce oil in these areas. Development projects are necessary to improve infrastructure, including widening highways. Last year Midland, TX became the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country.

Texas Department of Transportation and the Permian Basin

The Need to Energize Infrastructure

Although the Permian Basin represents a mere 2% of the Texas population, road accidents in this area account for 10% of Texas roadway fatalities. The existing infrastructure is not designed to accommodate the level of traffic that has come with the Permian Basin boom. In Odessa, Texas from 2011 to 2012 there was an 18% increase in traffic accidents, and a 47% increase in roadway fatalities attributed to this growth.

Be Safe. Drive Smart.

Across the Permian Basin and the 58-counties that are represented by this area, from 2011 to 2012 there was a 27% increase in traffic fatalities. Serious injury crashes also increased. The TxDOT is working with oil and gas companies to promote roadway safety.

Energy Impacts on Transportation in the Permian Basin

In 2010, you were 2.5x more likely to be in a fatal car accident in Odessa, TX than the Texas state average. 25% of Permian Basin residents work in a county other than the one in which they live, resulting in longer commutes and more cars on the road. The oil boom was not predicted, and the local government is unable to keep up with the roads in need of expansion and repair. Historically, the TxDOT has put more money toward urban congestion relief, rather than supporting the rural areas of the state growing rapidly due to the oil boom.

114 rigs, 36 million barrels of oil = gravel roads in Eagle Ford, Permian

The Texas Department of Transportation has stated that it does not have the means to repair rural Farm-to-Market roads, many which need repair due to heavy oil field traffic. Their proposed solution is to convert many of these dilapidated rural gravel roads, which will also reduce roadway speed.

Permian Basin Coalition Holds Second Meeting to Discuss Transportation 6/27/13

Residents of West Texas have seen how dangerous their roads have become; they are trying to convince the state that something needs to be done. Although this area houses only 2% of the state population, 10% of roadway fatalities occur in West Texas.

A New Boom for Oil but a Bust for State’s Rural Roads

TxDOT has stated that it does not have the funds to maintain rural roads affected by the Permian Basin oil boom as asphalt. Local roads were not designed to accommodate the weight of the trucks continuously driving on them, and have fallen victim to potholes, cracked asphalt and splintering shoulders. TxDOT is focusing its efforts on addressing statewide congestion, which diverts most of the funds to urban areas.

These resources have been curated by the personal injury lawyers at Tate Law Offices, P.C. Our law firm works with clients throughout the state of Texas, including Midland and Odessa, on cases involving injuries that result from collisions with negligent drivers, whether they are truck drivers, other autos or any accident on the road. The Permian Basin is home to much of the oil production in the state of Texas today, and it is for this reason the roads and highways around Midland and Odessa have become more dangerous. The number of car accidents and truck accidents continues to increase at an alarming rate.

Our Midland Odessa car accident lawyers are here to help guide and protect victims who have been hurt in accidents with oil and gas company trucks and transport vehicles, including 18 wheelers, tractor trailers, tankers, drill equipment trucks and other large vehicles used by the oil and gas industry. Many times the trucks are operated negligently due to poor management, distracted driving, fatigue or overloading of cargo. The reasons are many but the results tend to be catastrophic, if not deadly.

If you have been injured in the Midland or Odessa area, you would be wise to seek the representation of a Texas truck accident attorney in order to get an assessment of your accident. The lawyers at Tate Law Offices, P.C., will review your case for free and give you the straight answer on the direction your injury claim is likely to take. If you have a loved one who has been seriously injured or lost due to a fatal truck accident in the Permian Basin, we are here to help you in your time of need and will diligently guard your interests and carry out your claim against a negligent driver. Please call us now to begin recovering for your losses by dialing 888-662-3892. Or you may email us your information using the contact form on this page or by clicking on the chat box to speak to a representative right now.

“Odessa” image “Odessa” Charles Henry, CC-BY-2.0.