Commercial Driving & Sleep
If you’re concerned about truck safety, think about those sleepy people behind the wheel.
Commercial drivers are especially at risk for fatigue-related crashes.
Professional drivers such as truckers are more susceptible to accidents related to drowsy driving. For starters, they drive many more miles each year than the average driver, which automatically increases their risk. In addition, truckers and other commercial drivers are more likely to — and actually have reasons to — drive at night, which is when most fatigue-related crashes occur. Nighttime is also when the human body is its sleepiest.
In fact, studies suggest that truck driver fatigue could be a contributing factor in 30% to 40% of all heavy truck accidents. One study, conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board, found that one-third of all truck accidents that resulted in the trucker driver’s death were probably caused by sleep deprivation. And for each truck driver fatality, another three to four people are killed.
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Truckers get less sleep than they need.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that long-haul truck drivers don’t get the sleep they need to be alert behind the wheel. In the study, truckers didn’t get (or take) their full eight-hour breaks between shifts in one out of every eight trips. When they did get their breaks, they often didn’t spend the time sleeping. In another study, mandated by Congress, truckers reported getting, on average, less than five hours of sleep per day, far less than what they need.
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Truck operators have a higher incidence of sleep apnea.
In addition to the lack of sleep and nighttime driving, commercial drivers have a disproportionately high prevalence of sleep apnea. Recent studies have found that as many as 15% of these drivers in the U.S. are affected by this sleep disorder. A study of 600 truck drivers conducted in 1993 concluded that 46% suffered from moderate to severe sleep apnea.
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Making the roads safer for truckers... & everyone else.
Lately, public opinion about truck safety in the U.S. is on the rise. So is the public awareness of sleep disorders and the importance of getting sufficient quality and quantity of restorative sleep. Within the trucking industry, changes have been made specifically to mandate adequate rest periods. And, increasingly, companies that hire drivers — and examiners responsible for certifying drivers — are insisting that drivers with known risk factors for sleep apnea and other sleep disorders be evaluated. While specific mandates are not yet in place, many certifiers send commercial drivers with a high body-mass index (35 or greater) or a neck size greater than 17.5 inches for a sleep study to determine if a clinical sleep disorder is present.
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Trust the area’s leaders in diagnosing & treating sleep difficulties.
At Midwest Chest Consultants in St. Charles, Missouri, we’re experienced at diagnosing sleep disorders that can affect drivers’ alertness. As the area’s first and only accredited sleep center, we are skilled not only in diagnosis but also in treatment, resolving sleep disorders and restoring these professionals’ ability to get restful, restorative sleep.
If and when you have drivers who need to be evaluated for sleep problems or a clinical sleep disorder, trust the team who’s been trusted for more than a decade.
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