While drowsy driving is dangerous for all drivers, fatigued truck drivers driving big rigs on Maryland’s roadways pose some of the most serious safety concerns. In fact, the U.S. Department of Transportation states that an estimated 10–30 percent of large truck and bus crashes, which kill 5,000 and seriously injury more than 100,000 people each year, are linked to drowsy driving.
As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we have seen firsthand what can happen when these large trucks collide with cars and other smaller vehicles, and it concerns us that many of these accidents could be prevented.
To combat the problem, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health recently considered whether a 10-minute screening method could be effective in identifying the professional drivers at risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The researchers focused on OSA because it is the most common medical cause of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and is associated with a two- to seven-fold increase in the risk of motor vehicle crashes.
In addition, it may be more common in truck drivers. The major predominant risk factor for OSA is obesity. Since as many as 40-50 percent of commercial drivers are obese, the prevalence of OSA among these drivers is considerably higher than in the general population, researchers said.
The Ten-Minute Test
The goal of the study was to determine whether the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT), a 10-minute test of attention, alertness, and reaction time, could be used to screen and identify drivers at high risk for OSA/EDS.
In the study, 193 male commercial drivers and emergency responders undergoing occupational examinations took a 10-minute PVT and were instructed to achieve their fastest possible reaction times. Participants with discrete patterns of delayed reaction times were categorized as “microsleepers.” The study identified 15 microsleepers, representing 8 percent of the study’s participants.
The abnormal alertness and reaction time patterns detected by PVT were found almost exclusively among obese men whose body composition puts them at high risk for OSA. Moreover, the PVT seems to detect people likely to suffer from EDS based on other research, which has suggested that longer lapses in reaction time are highly likely to identify drivers experiencing eye closure, as opposed to simple distraction from the test. Eye closures while on task are consistent with microsleeps.
According to the researchers, the promising results suggest that PVT can someday be used to identify drivers needing urgent sleep evaluation before being qualified to continue as commercial drivers.
“This novel use of the PVT is extremely promising as a potential, 10-minute frontline check for sleepiness accomplished at professional drivers’ federally mandated licensing exams, similar to vision and hearing screens common in current use,” said Kales, who serves as an associate professor at both Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health.
Source: EHS Today
The personal injury attorneys of Hyatt & Weber, P.A. understand the potentially devastating impact of a serious truck or car accident. If you or someone you love has been injured due to someone else’s negligence, we are here to help. Our Maryland personal injury attorneys are experienced and dedicated to pursuing the compensation you deserve.