Chronic Medical Conditions in Commercial Truck Drivers
I’m Ed Smith, a Truck Accident Lawyer in Sacramento. As people continue to live longer, chronic medical conditions will become more common. In the United States alone, millions of people live with a chronic medical condition. These could involve multiple doctors’ visits, numerous medications, and issues related to their quality of life. According to statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC):
- About half of all adults in the United States have one or more chronic medical conditions. This amounts to over 117 million people.
- About 25 percent of adults in this country have two or more chronic medical conditions.
- Put together, heart disease and cancer (two of the most common chronic medical conditions) accounted for almost half of all deaths in the United States.
- Obesity is on the rise, and more than a third of all adults in this country qualify as obese.
- Arthritis is the most common reason why people become disabled.
- Diabetes is a leading cause of kidney failure, blindness, and amputations not due to serious injuries.
These statistics from the CDC are overwhelming and clearly, demonstrate the need to manage all of these conditions properly. These medical conditions come with numerous complications and the medications that people take to handle their chronic medical problems have side effects. Sometimes, these side effects can impact someone’s ability to drive a motor vehicle.
Research Study: Chronic Medical Conditions in Commercial Truck Drivers
A medical study published in BMJ Open analyzed how chronic medical conditions (and their medications) affect commercial truck drivers. According to some of the statistics released in their study:
- There are over 11 million people in the United States licensed as commercial truck drivers.
- Transportation accidents are responsible for more than 40 percent of all workplace deaths.
- Truck driving as an occupation has the third-highest fatality rate.
- Each truck driver who operates the vehicle with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) costs the United States close to $60,000.
- These costs come from both liability and direct expenses.
The researchers examined 32 different medical records to see which conditions were most common. The records included over 150,000 people, which almost all of the drivers were male. According to their findings:
- Obesity was the most common medical condition, with 45 percent of drivers qualifying as obese.
- A third of the drivers surveyed had been diagnosed with diabetes.
- About a quarter of individuals had been diagnosed with high blood pressure (hypertension).
- Close to 20 percent of the drivers had been diagnosed with a sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea.
These numbers are important because they demonstrate how common it is for truck drivers to suffer from a chronic medical condition. Furthermore, these conditions have complications that can make it difficult to drive a truck safely.
An Impact on Road Safety
The research paper went on to discuss how these medical conditions can increase the likelihood of someone being involved in an auto accident. The researchers first included all of the drivers who had been diagnosed with a chronic medical condition related to sleep:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Sleep-disordered breathing
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea syndrome
Based on the findings of the researchers, commercial truck drivers who suffered from sleep difficulties were far more likely to be involved in a truck accident. According to statistics on the sleepiest of drivers published in the study:
- They were close to twice as likely as anyone else to suffer a truck accident.
- They were close to three times as likely as the average driver to have multiple accidents.
- They were far more likely to use narcotic pain medication, which can make people drowsy.
- They were about 3.5 times more likely to use antihistamines, which could make them sleepy.
When someone drives a truck, the sheer size of the vehicle increases the risk of suffering a serious injury or causing a wrongful death. Because of these risks, proper sleep management is vital and is doubly important if someone has a chronic sleep condition. When properly managed, studies have shown that the risk of accidents drops sharply.
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Sacramento Truck Accident Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Truck Accident Lawyer in Sacramento. If you have been hurt in an accident involving a commercial truck driver, contact me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400. I can share free, friendly advice.
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