In 2012, in an effort to keep sleep-deprived drivers off the roads, the federal government ordered a mandatory 30-minute rest break for all truck drivers.

From the day it was passed, however, the trucking industry has been trying to overturn it.

Sleep-deprived truck drivers are a danger to themselves and others, and safety advocates fear a push by the trucking industry to ease regulations written to keep tired drivers off the road could only make things worse.

According to a study by the Governors Highway Safety Association, a sleepy driver is involved in 10 to 20 percent of bus and semi truck crashes on U.S. roads. It’s estimated that there are 328,000 crashes every year involving fatigued drivers on U.S. roads.

Truckers are under a lot of economic pressure to make their deadlines, but that shouldn’t happen at the expense of regulations that protect the rest of us.

Sign the petition: Urge the Department of Transportation to retain mandatory rest periods for the safety of all drivers.