Fracking and Traffic Crashes in Eagle Ford Shale of Texas

Abstract

Fracking is used in the extraction of crude oil and natural gas from deep seated sedimentary rocks. The ubiquitous use of heavy trucks in fracking leads to traffic congestion and damages to the existing infrastructure in energy producing corridors. This makes driving hazardous for drivers of both commodity and passenger carriers, leading to traffic crashes near fracking sites. In this exploratory study, the case of Eagle Ford Shale of Texas has been analyzed to determine the impacts if any, of the variables of energy production, truck vehicle miles traveled, and other socio-economic factors on traffic crashes. Using both descriptive and statistical analyses of data, it has been found that some of the aforementioned variables have an impact on traffic crashes in the energy producing corridor. Based on the study’s findings, appropriate recommendations to reduce traffic crashes in this energy corridor have been made.