Safety Agency Calls for Sleep Apnea Screening to Minimize Risk of Truck Accidents

Every year, hundreds of truck accidents in Texas and nationwide, can be traced to fatigued truck drivers dozing off at the wheel. Often, driver fatigue is the result of a condition called sleep apnea, in which sleep is disturbed by frequent respiratory pauses, and the person, therefore suffers from tiredness during the daytime. While federal authorities and Texas truck accident lawyers have for long been aware of the fact that sleep apnea is a major contributing factor in fatigue-related accidents, there has been precious little done to address the problem. Most truck drivers who suffer from sleep apnea, continue to operate their massive tractor trailer rigs unaware that they suffer from a potentially dangerous health condition - one that can impact not just their own health, but also place other motorists in the vicinity at risk of an accident with the rig.

That is why it is deeply encouraging to Texas truck accident lawyers that the National Transportation Safety Board this week sent a recommendation letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration advising that truckers be screened for sleep apnea. The NTSB recommendation addresses the issue of sleep apnea not just in commercial truck and bus drivers, but also pilots of ships, with a similar recommendation letter going out to the US Coast Guard.

Earlier this year, other similar recommendations were sent to the Federal Aviation Administration as well as transit system authorities around the country, advising that airline pilots as well as train operators be screened for the disorder.

It doesn't take rocket science to figure out that a tired and drowsy driver, who has spent much of the previous night in a disturbed sleep because of frequent respiratory disturbances, is at grave risk for an accident. Sleep apnea is dangerous enough when it involves motorists operating smaller passenger vehicles, but when it impacts the operator of a massive 18-wheeler, the results can be deadly. Any truck accidents caused when a tired driver loses control of his vehicle or plows into another vehicle, can have devastating consequences.  

SMSH has previously noted this safety issue in another blog post HERE. 

As Texas truck accident attorneys, we hope that this NTSB recommendation is only the first step towards mandatory screening and treatment of afflicted truckers and bus drivers.  Please contact us at 1-800-282-2122.