How about a cup of coffee with that Twinkie?

Laura Mackie

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A Twinkie alert was issued at 2:47 a.m. on December 20, 2006 when 50,000 pounds of Hostess bakery products were dumped on Hwy. 99 just south of Eight Mile Road in Stockton California. The unfortunate "spill" was just one aspect of a traffic accident in which a tractor-trailer overturned after the driver lost control of the big rig and crashed through the highway divider. Debris from the accident caused damage to at least one other vehicle. The incident caused closure of two southbound lanes of the highway until 6 a.m. on the 20th. The accident is still under investigation and no charges have been filed.

All obvious jokes aside, road hazards caused by tractor-trailer accidents are just one of the many obstacles encountered by unwary commuters on California's highways. And despite the strong protestations of many truck drivers, driver fatigue and unsafe speed for conditions are often cited as the primary causes for these types of accidents.