Oil Boom in South Texas May Bring More Truck Accidents Caused by Fatigue

South Texas's oil boom has created a dangerous driving environment where rural roads have narrowed and more fatigued truck drivers may be on the road.

2012-05-12

May 12, 2012 (Press-News.org) Oil Boom in South Texas May Bring More Truck Accidents Caused by Fatigue

The Eagle Ford oil boom in South Texas is creating economic growth in the area, but it is also creating growth of another sort. The oil boom has led to more commercial truck traffic to South Texas. The additional truck traffic has brought more tired truck drivers to the area, and has also damaged and narrowed area roads. The greater number of tired truck drivers and deteriorating roads create a dangerous driving environment conducive to car and truck accidents.

Many workers in South Texas face long hours in the oil and gas fields, so not only may there be more tired commercial drivers on the road, there may also be more tired drivers on the road in general. We all know the dangers of driving while fatigued, yet many of us choose to continue driving instead of safely pulling off the road when we are too tired to drive. The danger of fatigue-related traffic accidents is even greater when tired commercial truck drivers remain behind the wheel, since the vehicles they drive are so large.

Because of the greater danger commercial drivers present, the work hours of commercial truck drivers are regulated by law. Commercial drivers of trucks heavier than 10,000 pounds may only drive 11 hours during a 14 hour shift; however, there is no guarantee that drivers rest during off-duty hours. What too many fatigued drivers fail to realize is that the effects of being tired while behind the wheel are real, and are similar to driving while drunk. The reflexes, reaction time and thought process of a tired driver are significantly slower than those of a rested driver.

In addition to the potential influx of tired drivers in South Texas, poor road conditions may also increase the risk of truck accidents in the area. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the truck traffic and weight of truck loads required for the development of one well is the equivalent of 8 million car trips; however, South Texas's country highways and roads were not engineered to handle that much traffic or weight.

The Eagle Ford deposit currently has 1,000 active wells and permits for 3,000 new wells. The constant traffic has caused the roads in many areas to crumble. The minimum width of a two-lane rural road in Texas is 24 feet, but some rural roads have narrowed to less than 22 feet because of the commercial truck traffic. The dangerously narrow roads make it difficult for farmers and residents to travel safely.

If you or loved one have been in a traffic accident, contact an experienced personal injury attorney to review your legal options.

Article provided by Dan Stroup Attorney At Law
Visit us at http://www.danstroup.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Social Media Is a Growing Factor in Divorce Proceedings

2012-05-12

Social Media Is a Growing Factor in Divorce Proceedings As social media becomes more ubiquitous in daily life, people are becoming more accustomed to sharing all aspects of their lives online. With sites such as Facebook, Flickr, MySpace,Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr, people can broadcast their thoughts, feelings and pictures to everyone in real time. As posting information on social media sites becomes more natural to people, those going through divorce may share details about their situations online. However, doing so can end up harming them, as evidence gathered from ...

Inducing labor around due date boosts baby survival rates

2012-05-12

Babies born when labour is induced around their due date may have better survival rates than those whose birth is not induced, a study suggests. Researchers found that stillbirths and new born baby deaths were less likely to occur when labour was induced at 40 weeks compared to births where the pregnancy was allowed to continue. Women whose labour was artificially triggered at 40 weeks were also less likely to need a Caesarean section than those who waited to go into labour. The study from the University of Edinburgh looked at elective inductions – those carried out ...

FAQs About Divorce

2012-05-12

FAQs About Divorce Psychologists put divorce on par with the death of a loved one, losing a job and relocating as one of the most stressful events that a person can go through in life. In the face of such a dramatic life change, people often have several questions regarding transitioning from married to single with respect to finances, investments and real estate matters. Money One of the most common questions people have after divorce is: How do I handle my finances as a single person, after being part of a couple? Experts suggest beginning by making a list ...

Hospital readmission rates linked to availability of care, socioeconomics

2012-05-12

Differences in regional hospital readmission rates for heart failure are more closely tied to the availability of care and socioeconomics than to hospital performance or patients' degree of illness, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care & Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2012. U.S. regional readmission rates for heart failure vary widely ― from 10 percent to 32 percent ― researchers found. Communities with higher rates were likely to have more physicians and hospital beds and their populations were likely to ...

Scripps doctors study novel new device to diagnose irregular heartbeat

2012-05-12

A study conducted at Scripps Health has found that a novel new heart monitoring device helped emergency room patients avoid unnecessary follow-up care. Scripps Health electrophysiologist Steven Higgins, MD, presented findings of the study titled, "Prevalence of Arrhythmias in Emergency Department Patients Discharged Using a Novel Ambulatory Cardiac Monitor", today at the Heart Rhythm Society's 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions in Boston. The study focused on the use of Zio® Patch, a single-use ambulatory cardiac monitor that looks similar to a 2- by 5-inch adhesive bandage ...

Growing Use of Credit Reports in Hiring Decisions

2012-05-12

Growing Use of Credit Reports in Hiring Decisions There is a growing trend among employers across the country to use credit reports to screen job applicants. While the practice is largely illegal in Maryland, the phenomenon is disturbing given the considerable difficulties already facing many of today's jobseekers. More than ever before, according to USA Today, recruiters say employers are using credit reports to screen potential employees. While small business owners may approve of the strategy, folks who are out of work and down on their luck do not view the policy ...

Highly targeted irradiation as good as whole breast radiotherapy in early stage cancer

2012-05-12

Barcelona, Spain: Using a concentrated, highly targeted dose of radiation to the breast has equally good results as irradiating the whole area, with no adverse effects on survival and a much better cosmetic outcome, Hungarian researchers have found. Reporting the ten-year results of a randomised trial, Professor Csaba Polgár, MD, Director of the Centre for Radiotherapy, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, will tell the World Congress of Brachytherapy [1 & 2] today (Friday) that he believes that accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) could be offered to many ...

AiNET Introduces MicroMetering for Data Center Colocation Customers: Save up to 70% on Energy Expenses

2012-05-12

AiNET, an innovator in data centers, cloud services and fiber networks, announced today that its new MicroMetering service will provide all data center colocation customers with cost-savings, power redundancy and better scalability. Frequently data center customers are charged based on the capacity of their electrical service. Metered power has advantages over capacity based offerings and cost savings up to 70%. Until now, metered power was only available for the largest colocation and wholesale customers. AiNET MicroMetering is available now at its Laurel, Maryland ...

Cancer in the elderly: Research fails to keep up with demographic change

2012-05-12

Barcelona, Spain: New research showing that almost half of 13,000 patients with head and neck cancers had other health-related problems at the same time is one of the presentations in a special session at the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 31) [1] today (Friday). The session will highlight the effect of the demographic time bomb caused by an increasingly ageing population. Dr Charlotte Rotbøl Bøje, from the Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark, will tell the conference that analysis of co-morbidities – other medical ...

S&A Cherokee Receives Six InSpire Awards from NCPRSA

2012-05-12

For the fourth consecutive year, S&A Cherokee has won multiple InSpire Awards from the North Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (NCPRSA). NCPRSA launched the awards program in 2009 to honor the region's best efforts in public relations and communications. S&A Cherokee received five Bronze InSpire Awards, recognizing tactics or components of campaigns, and one Silver InSpire Award, recognizing entire campaigns. Four of the company's winning entries also received Best in Category designation. Bronze Award of Excellence and Best in Category, ...