KUMJ | VOL. 9 | NO. 1 | ISSUE 33 | JAN-MARCH, 2011
Drowsy Drivers - Medical Implications of Highway Traffic Safety
Pant S
Abstract: The estimates of the contribution of drowsiness and fatigue to the number of
road crashes is often neglected considerably, due both to under-reporting of these
factors by drivers, and technical difficulty in investigating the problem. Preventing
and treating the reasons for falling asleep behind the wheel may have considerable
contribution in traffic safety. Therefore the licensing authorities in co-operation
with the medical profession should attend more closely to the issue of sleep
related disorders and their implications for driving in cases with notoriously high
risk. The police and other enforcement authorities need appropriate knowledge
and procedures to detect drivers at risk of falling asleep while driving. Considering
the increasing number of road traffic accidents day per day, it is a need of the hour
to detect drivers possibly at risk, and to take appropriate precautions in terms of
education, advice and treatment regimes, as well as restrictions on licensing.
Keyword : drowsy driver, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, highway accidents, primary prevention, secondary prevention, sleep apnea syndrome, sleep disorders.
