The problems of sleep apnea and the resulting fatigue in professional long haul drivers on our U.S. highways are critical. But our Houston truck accident lawyers haven’t discussed the problem in a while because clean solutions continue to elude government regulators, truck industry officials, and concerned accident lawyers alike.
The profession of long haul driving is one that almost inescapably leads to fatigue and sleep apnea problems. To make money, the drivers must get up early, oversea loading of their cargo, drive endless, monotonous hours on the highways, and spend most of their nights away from home and the comfort of their own beds. You might know from personal experience how sleeping away from home while traveling can easily disrupt your sleep patterns.
And the long hours in the drivers seat combined with generally unhealthy truck stop meals and little time for exercise tend to lead to weight gain which in turn leads to sleep apnea problems. Sleep apnea interrupts a driver’s sleep continuously throughout the night, which can leave him almost as fatigued in the morning as if he had not slept at all.
Of ongoing concern in the trucking industry is the problem of sleep apnea and its role in causing truck accidents. Our Houston truck accident lawyers emphasize that discussions of sleep apnea tend to revolve around several central questions.
The answer to the 2nd question remains inconclusive. Some contend that truckers with sleep apnea have a risk of causing truck accidents that is seven times higher than that of those without sleep apnea. Yet the authoritative government study on the subject indicates that only those drivers with severe sleep apnea are at risk and only for severe accidents. Somehow that doesn’t comfort me.
The government has formulated some regulations to limit truck drivers’ consecutive hours on the road. The federal regulations require regular rest breaks and maintenance of a logbook setting forth a driver’s hours and miles traveled.
Our Houston truck accident lawyers note that truck drivers aren’t the only drivers with sleep apnea and consequent fatigue problems. Much of the general population possesses a sleep apnea disorder. There exist 3 distinct types of sleep apnea disorder. OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) is the type that provides a focal point for the controversy regarding long haul truck drivers. And medications like sleep aids used to combat sleep-related disorders can cause as many problems as the disorders themselves.
The problem of sleep-deprived drivers and resulting wrecks remains. You can do your part to help prevent such wrecks by becoming aware of problems that might cause your own fatigue behind the wheel and taking steps to combat the problems.
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