Sleep Apnea * USA - Absolutely a driver-safety issue

The benefits for implementing a proactive driver fatigue management program just keep mounting

New York,NY,USA -Fleet Owner, by Wendy Leavitt -Sep 24, 2009: ... Don Osterberg, shared the results of Schneider’s study evaluating the related safety performance and health care costs during the 12 months before drivers were treated for sleep apnea and the 12 months after treatment. According to Osterberg, preventable crashes were reduced by 30%; the median cost of crashes was reduced by 48%; the driver retention rate improved by 60% over the fleet average; and health care costs were reduced by over 50%, or by $539 per driver/per month, in the months following treatment... An expanded study in 2006 that tracked 788 drivers saw similar results... Gerald P. Krueger, principal author of the Transportation Research Board’s report on Health and Wellness for Commercial Drivers explain, there are some 20 drowsy-driver behaviors that drivers can learn to identify as warning signals indicating the need for rest. They increase in severity from factors such as yawning, frequent blinking, head nodding and general drowsiness, to more serious indicators such as sporadic variations in speed, lost awareness of location, unknowingly passing planned highway exits or turn-off points, slow response time, lane deviations and even experiencing hallucinations... To developing a successful sleep program key elements they identified include: employee education, screening and diagnosis of sleep disorders, treatment, compliance monitoring and coaching during treatment and outcome reporting...