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Shock figures over deadly dozing
20:26, Jul 16 2011
Drive Talking
by Ian Johnson, drivingforce.uk.net
MOST drivers have felt a little tired at the wheel at some time another, but that two seconds of inattention as the eyes close could be the doze of death.
It only takes an instant of sleep behind the wheel to cause a fatal crash and research this week undertaken by road safety charity Brake and Cambridge Weight Plan reveals one in eight drivers has ‘head-nodded' at the wheel in the past year.
Head-nodding occurs when someone nods off to between two and 30 seconds, often without realising that they have been asleep.
Apart from overwork one of the main culprits is actually a health condition known as obstructive sleep apnoea that causes tiredness during the day and in extreme cases can cause the sufferer to fall asleep without warning.
Sleep apnoea is often found in people who are overweight and snore heavily, so restricting their breathing at night and interfering with sleep patterns.
The truth is that there is still a degree of ignorance about this condition and many drivers do not realise they have got it. But many hospitals now have a sleep clinic where the condition can be diagnosed and remedied on referral from a GP.
But one of the most simple remedies for this condition is slimming because it is linked to body mass which is why Brake have teamed up with Cambridge Weight Plan.
If you do often feel drowsy at the wheel it is probably best to seek medical advice bearing in mind that experts estimate that tired drivers cause one in five fatal crashes on motorways and other monotonous trunk roads.
