Texas 349 Thru Midland Can Be Dangerous!

The oil field is picking back up. I know first hand, with all the trucks back on the roads. And when you're a smaller vehicle on a two-lane highway where the speed limit is 75--there aren't many choices on where you can veer off to if one of them gets too close. Not to mention--if an oncoming truck kicks up a rock that hits your windshield going that fast. I had never experienced that before in my lifetime--a rock hitting my windshield SO HARD we swore it was coming right thru the window and into the interior of the car. It's not as if I was following too close--this was an oncoming semi-truck in the lane right next to mine that kicked that rock upward. It happened on 349 headed down what I call "the back way" to the radio station off 1788, instead of taking Loop 250 to 191--what I call "the front way", to the station from my house.

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I thought for a second right after it happened to pull over, hook a U-turn, and try to catch up to the truck for insurance reasons. But then the thought of having to prove it was him, having to prove it just happened, etc--too much hassle and probably wouldn't be easy. So I just kept on going. Thankfully I have just a $100 deductible on insurance to get the windshield replaced. The fun part is--it's a 2021 vehicle and glass isn't easy to come by that fits the make and model from the manufacturer. It's on backorder. So I'm driving with a cracked window from top to bottom, hoping it doesn't get any worse til the new glass gets in. Oil field traffic, and just trucks in general--can be dangerous if you're following too closely. They're so big, sometimes they don't see you and that's when accidents can be really bad. I've vowed to never go "the back way" ever again and stick to Loop 250 and 191 to try to avoid this happening again. Be careful out there and be sure to allow plenty of space around trucks and we'll all stay safe.