Truck accidents can easily be fatal for occupants of passenger vehicles. The enormous vehicle size and weight of commercial trucks can crush or completely obliterate smaller cars. In 2015, 296 people died in large truck accidents in California. One of major causes of truck accidents is truck driver fatigue. Long hours on the road, no passengers, an abnormal sleep schedule, and sleep apnea can all contribute to making truckers too drowsy to drive safely. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) enacted hours of service (HOS) rules to help prevent this type of accident, but they still occur around the country. Why Do Truckers Drive Drowsy? Researchers believe that statistics on drowsy driving are largely underrepresented since it’s difficult to attribute sleep as the cause of fatal accidents. That being said, an FMCSA crash study used crash scene data, interviews with drivers and witnesses, and inspections of the drivers’ logbooks to gauge the number of fatigue-related accidents. The study found driver error caused 87% of the truck accidents, and driver fatigue caused 13% (18,000 truck accidents). Truck drivers are at a high risk of fatigue due to several different job-related factors. Drivers who must do long-haul drivers overnight may have…