Driver fatigue may be a major factor in up to 40 percent of all heavy truck accidents. The risk of an accident dramatically increases after 10 hours of driving, causing deaths, injuries and accident-caused congestion. The Department of Transportation states that fatigue is a direct cause of 15 percent of truck accident fatalities and injuries, resulting in more than 750 deaths and nearly 20,000 injuries each year. Polls show that more than 80 percent of the public believes that fatigued drivers pose a serious danger to others on the highway and that their hours should not be increased.