Fracking has been great for the Texas economy, but the fracking boom is not without serious costs. According to research coming out of Texas A&M, highway fatalities in Texas shale country correlate directly with drilling activity. As drilling increases, so do traffic fatalities, with the converse also holding true. The researchers even went a step further and showed the economic costs associated with these increased fatal car and trucking accidents. For example, fatal roadway accidents in the Permian Basin area cost local communities $176 million between 2010 and 2013. While the researches site safety issues as part of the reason for the increase in fatalities, they also focus on crumbling road systems that can not handle the increased traffic associated with oil and gas drilling. The researches hope that our legislature will take notice of their findings and address these increased risks on our roadways associated with the fracking boom. So do we.
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