Car and truck accidents were down sharply across the Permian Basin and other Texas energy-producing regions in 2020 – the first significant decrease in years.
Unfortunately, it appears many of those crashes were preventable, as speed and distracted driving ranked as the leading causes of accidents in areas dominated by oil and gas drilling activities.
70,000 CrashesReported in Permian Basin, Other Texas Drilling Regions
According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the state’s five energy-producing areas – the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford Shale, Barnett Shale, Anadarko Basin, and Haynesville/Bossier Shale –reported a combined total of 70,000 traffic accidents and 932 crash-related deaths during all of 2020.
That’s less than half of the crashes reported across those regions in 2019 when more than 200,000 truck and car accidents claimed over 1,600 lives.
Coronavirus Pandemic Shut Down Texas Oilfields
Last year’s falling rate of traffic accidents and crash-related deaths was likely driven by the global coronavirus pandemic, which brought the state’s vital oil and gas industry to its knee. Before COVID-19 spurred shut-downs and quarantines across the United States and much of the world, heavy oilfield trucks were a common sight along the roads and highways throughout the Permian Basin and other energy hot-spots in Texas.
But as energy demand fell during the pandemic, drillers throughout the Permian and elsewhere were forced to shut in their wells, idling the thousands of tanker trucks and other heavy vehicles typically needed to serve the state’s once-bustling oilfields.
With Permian Basin Heating Up, Oilfield Trucks Return to West Texas Roads
The demand for oil and gas has rebounded sharply this year, and Texas oilfields are starting to heat up once again. The recovery is especially robust in the Permian Basin, where according to rig data provider Enverus, the current crude output is roughly 4.7 million b/d, not far from the pre-pandemic output of 4.8 million b/d.
With drilling momentum building across the Permian, industry analysts suggest the region could return to growth activity as soon as next year. That means motorists in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico will be sharing the road with a growing number of heavy oilfield trucks in the coming months.
To stay safe, TxDOT is urging motorists — particularly those traveling in energy-producing regions — to:
- Drive at a safe speed appropriate for traffic, road conditions, and weather.
- Put the phone away: no talking or texting when behind the wheel. Keep your focus entirely on the road.
- Give large trucks plenty of space, be patient, and pass only when it’s safe and legal to do so.
- Obey stop signs and traffic signals.
- Never drive under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
- Buckle up — drivers and passengers — day and night.
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