A Deadly Combination: Sleep Apnea and Commercial Drivers
Chris Zimmer
An estimated one in 25 adult drivers (aged 18 years or older) report having fallen asleep while driving in the previous 30 days, and a condition called obstructive sleep apnea can make drivers even more susceptible to drowsy driving.
There’s no question that driver fatigue poses a serious threat to safety on our nation’s roadways. But just how bad is the threat?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 100,000 fatigue-related crashes occur each year, many of which involve professional drivers in heavy commercial vehicles. That means an average of 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and $12.5 billion in monetary damages each year as a result of fatigue-related accidents.
