Luca Roberti, president of Apnoici Italiani, the Italian sleep apnea patient association, called for compulsory testing of sleep-related breathing problems among truck drivers.
According to a study presented by Roberti at the European Respiratory Society international congress Monday, it shows that approximately half of 905 Italian truck drivers suffered from sleep-related breathing disorders that may cause them to fall asleep.
“Considering that drivers are in charge of transport vehicles weighing several tons, companies have a great moral and civic responsibility to ensure their employees are safe to drive and are not at risk of suddenly falling asleep at the wheel,” Roberti said.
The study was carried out by the European Union Directive, created to limit accidents arising from OSA, in 2018 at the request of Federtrasporti, the Italian truck driver cooperative.
In a total of 905 drivers interviewed, 887 of them were men and 17 were women with an average age of 46 years.
Study showed that 77% of 905 drivers were overweight or obese. Nearly 10% of them said that their partners noticed that they seldom stopped breathing when they were sleeping. 55% of them were habitual snorers as well as 43% of them were at risk of OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea).
“This observational study has underlined the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea among truck drivers, which is greater than the prevalence in the general population. This is due to a lifestyle that forces the drivers to sit for several hours a day, with little physical activity and a poor diet, leading to a greater risk of excessive daytime sleepiness and of dozing off unexpectedly while driving” he added.
“Haulage companies should make it compulsory for their drivers to have examinations to diagnose any sleep-related breathing problems, and both they and their drivers should give careful consideration to drivers’ diets,” he concluded.
Thank you for visiting our website. We hope we have helped you with regards to this matter. You may keep coming back for more informative guides.
READ ALSO | New 20-peso Coin Out in December