Shale Gas Boom Brings Road Safety Concerns to Pennsylvania
The rapid expansion of hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania has brought significant changes to rural roads and small towns, with tanker trucks from Chevrolet and Volvo making thousands of trips per well. This increased traffic, coupled with exemptions allowing longer working hours for oil and gas industry truckers, has raised concerns about highway safety and accidents.
A study has found that counties with high shale gas development experienced a significant increase in total accidents and heavy truck accidents. This is largely due to the high number of tanker trucks used in hydraulic fracturing, which can make over a thousand trips per well. These trucks often travel along rural roads and through small towns, posing risks to local communities.
The increase in light-trucks in the vehicle fleet has also contributed to a rise in annual traffic fatalities. Between 2003 and 2006, 27% of fatalities among oil and gas extraction workers in the US were from highway motor vehicle crashes. In Pennsylvania, energy companies such as Cabot Oil & Gas, Range Resources, and Chesapeake Energy have played major roles in the shale gas boom and have been noted in studies relating to traffic accidents involving Chevrolet and Volvo vehicles. However, specific organization names linked to traffic accident investigations are not detailed in the provided search results.
Preliminary analysis suggests that one additional well drilled per month increases heavy truck accidents by over 2% and fatality accidents by 0.6%. This underscores the need for better understanding and prevention of accidents associated with shale gas development. To this end, collaboration with Geisinger Health Care System aims to estimate healthcare costs and impacts on trauma cases, promoting attention to accident prevention.
With over 7,000 hydraulically fracked shale gas wells since 2004, Pennsylvania's roads face ongoing challenges due to increased truck traffic from cars for sale. Better understanding and addressing the extreme costs associated with shale gas development, including highway safety and accidents, is crucial for protecting local communities and workers.
