Sleep apnea is believed to be the primary cause of major transportation accidents. This is according to Mark Rosekind of the National Transportation Safety Board member. A new mandate is now being considered for Transportation Operators requiring truck drivers, bus drivers, pilots, train conductors and basically every mode of public transportation to undergo a sleep apnea test to screen each driver to avoid major catastrophic accidents in the future. It has been said that people who were diagnosed with sleep apnea have a tendency to rapidly fall asleep during the quiet moments of the day when they are not active. A recent accident on New York City’s Metro North line has been attributed to the train engineer who is suffering from sleep apnea, which was undiagnosed and therefore untreated.
There are no nationwide rules to require drivers and truck operators to be tested even if they are high risks. Spencer of that Independent trucking Association were dubious as to whether sleep apnea was really proven as the major cause of human errors on road accidents. Although, some big companies were taking measures to alleviate the problem. But most of them were saying that the procedure, from the diagnosis to the treatment for sleep apnea, costs way too much and they just can’t afford it. Innovative technologies are now available, which can alert the drivers to their fatigue state and preventing them to nod off while driving. By installing these high tech devices, future collision accidents could be avoided.
People with sleep apnea often dont know they have it
A lot of people suffering from sleep apnea are oblivious to its signs and symptoms. A more common sign of sleep apnea is fighting sleepiness during waking hours of the day, at work or while driving, morning headaches, concentration problems, feeling irritated, depressed, mood swings, waking up due to frequent urination, dry mouth and sore throat.
I went to a bank one morning and a lot of people were waiting to be served. I sat next to a man, I think he is on his forties, weighed more than 300 pounds and he looked haggard even though it is still early in the morning. A few minutes later, I heard someone snoring, when I turned my head to my side I saw him still sitting there dozing off and snoring loudly. I think this is one of the main reason that sleep apnea should be taken seriously. I hope that man wasn’t driving a public transport.