A sheriff in Texas is blaming an oil boom for driving up the number of vehicular accidents in his county: He claims oil workers are reckless drivers.
The story, “Fracking Boom Blamed for Deadly Accidents,” was reported by WOIA.com.
According to the article, Kames County Sheriff David Jalufka says that accidents have soared since the oil company Eagle Ford Shale has come to town.
There were only 642 traffic citations and warnings handed out two years ago by the sheriff’s department, WOIA.com reported. But that number soared to 2,600 last year.
As the sheriff notes, Eagle Ford Shale and the oil boom have transformed Kames County into a rich area, from a poor one, according to WOIA.com. The population in the county has grown. But at what cost, the sheriff seems to wonder.
He pointed out that there have been seven fatal accidents since Jan. 1, even though even just one such death a year used to be an oddity.
Jalufka blames oil workers with driving recklessly by overloading their trucks, and even whizzing by school buses when they are letting children off, WOAI.com reported. He said he’s been told that oil industry drivers are always in a rush because “time is money,” according to WOAI.com.
The sheriff did get eight more deputies, but it’s still not enough to put the oil industry drivers in check.