A truck drives through an intersection in Clarksburg, W.Va. In March of 2013, a truck carrying drilling water overturned near the same intersection onto a car driven by Lucretia Mazzei, killing her two sons, 7-year-old Nicholas Mazzei-Saum and his 8-year-old brother Alexander Mazzei-Saum. An analysis of traffic fatalities in the busiest new oil and gas-producing counties in the U.S. shows a sharp rise in deaths that experts say is related to the drilling boom.CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – Booming production of oil and natural gas has exacted a little-known price on some of the nation’s roads, contributing to a spike in traffic fatalities in states where many streets and highways are choked with large trucks and heavy drilling equipment.
An Associated Press analysis of traffic deaths and U.S. census data in six drilling states shows that in some places, fatalities have more than quadrupled since 2004 – a period when most American roads have become much safer even as the population has grown.
“We are just so swamped,” said Sheriff Dwayne Villanueva of Karnes County, Texas, where authorities have been overwhelmed by the surge in serious accidents.
The industry acknowledges the problem, and traffic agencies and oil companies say they are taking steps to improve safety. But no one imagines that the risks will be eliminated quickly or easily.
“I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon,” Villanueva said.