In the oil and gas industry the higher the rig count shows good signs of an oil boom, but that also means there could be more people in the oil field that lack experience.  

“Have accidents increased in West Texas and in the nation as a whole for oil and gas? Yeah, absolutely but so has the workload. We have over 1,000 rigs operating in the US," said Chantell Schneider, Pro Mainland Safety. There were 64 deaths in 2016. 

When it comes to big trucks on the road, 26 percent of these accidents were caused by cell phone usage.

Texas actually had the highest fatality rate for speeding but long hours on the field can become very dangerous. 

“It can be caused by fatigue. A lot of workers put in 10, 12 hours days and being fatigued creates a lack of alertness," Schneider said. 

One of the other major concerns is pulling in the new employees to help fill the massive job openings. 

“New hires that come to this area are not familiar with the scope of work. It's up to their mentor to provide them with training so they can understand the hazards they may be working around," Schneider said.  

The oil and gas industry also affects roadways as sand and tanks transport loads from one site to another.