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`Death Highway' Is Where Oil Prices, Truck Fatalities Intersect

A main road in Texas oil country may be nation’s deadlest
High pay, inexperienced drivers, sinkholes all contribute

A pile of tires sits off of Route 285 near Pecos, Texas, on July 18. — A pile of tires sits off of Route 285 near Pecos, Texas, on July 18.Photographer: Callaghan O’Hare/Bloomberg

By

Ryan Collins and

Rachel Adams-Heard

July 28, 2018, 12:00 PM UTCUpdated onJuly 30, 2018, 4:00 AM UTC

Route 285 is the formal designation for one of the main roads used to carry supplies to and from the oilfields of West Texas. Locals call it something else: “Death Highway.”

Last year, 93 people died in accidents involving trucks just on the Texas-side of the Permian Basin, or 43 percent more than in 2012. Want to know how many fatalities to expect moving forward? Keep an eye on the price of oil.