Exposed Gas Meters Pose Crash Hazards for Texas Drivers. ‘We Have a Problem,’ Says Safety Expert

Driving home one rainy evening, Michelle Gilmartin swerved off a two-lane street to avoid hitting a car that stopped in front of her. She struck a gas meter in front of a house instead.As leaking natural gas hissed, Gilmartin helped her twin 9-year-old boys out of her SUV and rushed them to safety.After that 2017 accident in Keller, the gas company moved the meter farther from the road, behind a fence. But many other meters in that area — and throughout Dallas-Fort Worth — still stand near streets and alleys with no barriers to protect them, posing a risk."Something's got to be done to get these meters moved into a safer position," Gilmartin said. "It was the most terrifying moment of my life."In Texas, motorists have damaged gas meters more than 3,600 times since 2010, The Dallas Morning News found in a joint investigation with NBC5. More than 800 of those crashes happened in North Texas.  Continue reading...