Oil industry and road traffic fatalities in contemporary Colombia

Abstract

This paper studies the effects that oil extraction activities in Colombia have on the number of dead/injured people as a consequence of road-related accidents. Starting in 2004, the increasing exploitation of oil wells in some Colombian departments has worsened the traffic conditions due to the increased presence of trucks transporting crude oil from the wells to the refineries; this phenomenon has not been accompanied by an improvement in the road system with dramatic consequences in terms of road viability. The descriptive and empirical analysis presented here focuses on the period 2004-2011; results from descriptive statistics indicate a positive relationship between the presence of oil extraction activities and the number of either dead/injured people. Panel regressions for the period 2004-2011 confirm that, among other factors, the presence of oil-extraction activities did play a positive and statistical significant role in increasing the number of dead/injured people.

Importancia del transporte de hidrocarburos y su realidad en Colombia

“…Por lo anterior, es necesario la adecuación de vías y el acceso a nuevas tecnologías, ya que como consecuencia de este alto tráfico se pueden generar problemas como lo son la congestión vehicular, accidentes, daños en las vías y demás que afecta el transporte [51]. De igual manera, se pueden presentar afectaciones al medio ambiente por la polución, debido a que algunos lugares en donde se encuentran puntos de midstream y downstream, como Cartagena, que es la ciudad a la que llegan buques con petróleo o sus productos refinados, y esto se traduce en niveles de hidrocarburos sedimentados demasiados altos que pueden generar problemas de salud de los habitantes de estas zonas [52].…”

Means of transportation choice for the residents of Villavicencio, Colombia: A quantitative analysis

“…A number of heavy motorized vehicles, mainly trucks, day in and day out pass through the city to transport the hydrocarbons from the departments of the Llanos Orientales -Arauca, Casanare and Metawhere the oil is extracted to the departments of Meta and Putumayo where the refineries are located (Tasciotti et al, 2015). The discovery of oil wells in those three departments has resulted in an increase in the traffic congestion related problems, higher rate of road accidents, proliferation of parking areas in spaces otherwise destined to parks and in an increase of the barrier effect .…”