Sleep apnea, a condition that is more common in overweight people, may be the cause of many trucking accidents because it causes drivers to be drowsy during the daytime, a federal regulatory agency concluded.

Information on sleep apnea from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's web page details the dangers of sleep apnea. The condition causes the afflicted person to have periods of shallow breathing or a pause in breathing while sleeping. Disturbance in sleep then leads to drowsiness during the day, which is very dangerous when paired with tractor trailers.

At a public meeting of the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee and the Medical Review Board, a proposal was developed to prevent sleep apnea from causing trucking accidents. The proposal includes the disqualification of a driver who falls asleep at the wheel or is involved in a crash because the driver is tired.

The truckers would also have to pass a sleep apnea screening test. However, the proposal would allow the driver to have a 60-day conditional card while he or she is being evaluated or getting treatment for sleep apnea.

The executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association stated that accidents caused by tired drivers most likely result because they have not been able to get restorative sleep, rather than a sleep apnea condition. However, officials pointed out that sleep apnea can be the reason for lack of sleep.

The executive vice president also stated that sleep apnea doesn't cause many trucking accidents, but a woman who was hit by a trucker diagnosed with severe sleep apnea doesn't agree. She was with her family in the car when she was rear-ended by a trucker, resulting in her husband being killed.

What do you think? Should more be done to detect sleep apnea in truck drivers?

Source: The Huffington Post, "Sleep Apnea In Truck Drivers: Advisory Panels Recommend Screening For Condition In Obese Drivers," Dec. 19, 2011