Is This The Most Dangerous Highway In Midland-Odessa According To Locals?
It is not unusual for many of us here in Midland-Odessa to have a little bit of a commute to get to work every day. However, for some folks, it may be 15 to 20 minutes as opposed to bigger cities where they might be on the road for an hour. I myself have commuted to and from work for many years. I joke that I do it in my sleep sometimes. (truly only joking)
Since I do drive a good 40 minutes one-way each day for work, I had to find the best route for me. There were a number of factors for my decision initially, like which is the quickest route from my house to the B93 studios? Is there a 'straight shot' road? Is one route more heavily traveled than the other? I didn't want to deal with too much traffic.
But seeing as I've been doing it well over 20 years, things have changed a bit. My situation has changed as well. I'm a mom now whereas I was not when I very first started commuting to work. Now it is all about safety.
Which is the safest route to get to my job? These are questions I ask myself and others whom I know drive to all parts of West Texas for work. If you ask me, I would say FM 1788 is dangerous. Over the years I have both heard of and witnessed (unfortunately) many accidents on this stretch of road. It is a very scary place to be sometimes. The speed limit is only 75 but here in West Texas, we all know how that goes.
I have a friend who drives on I-20 every single day to get to work. When she first told me I thought oh man, I thought I had it bad! That Interstate terrifies me! So many big trucks travel that particular route at high speeds and I will avoid it all costs for that very reason.
But different strokes for different folks, right? Perhaps you travel a road I've never even heard of that is far more dangerous? Which is it? Please do share to warn your fellow West Texans to be even more careful than usual there.