ROAD SAFETY: WILL FEDS REGULATE FAT TRUCKERS?
By now, we all know it’s not healthy to be overweight. Medical reports rail against excess body fat, citing statistics that show even a few extra pounds can cause serious illnesses, from diabetes to heart ailments. Americans trying to stay healthy fight battles with their bathroom scales every day all over the United States.
But what about other people’s fat? Can it kill us too? Yes, according to sleep scientists at Harvard University. Their studies of the link between being overweight and sleep apnea have the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration considering new rules to require screening of overweight truck drivers. Harvard scientists estimate that 28 percent of commercial truck drivers on U.S. highways suffer from mild or severe sleep apnea. The disorder shuts off airways, causing them to wake up dozens, even hundreds of times every night, leaving them generally fatigued and often, grievously sleep deprived. People with sleep apnea have a tendency to nod off during normal activities. A few seconds asleep at the wheel of an 80,000 pound truck rolling down the highway could easily be fatal to nearby drivers.
While the federal government is looking seriously at new rules to curb sleep apnea in overweight truckers, it has no deadline for implementing them. Supporters say the rules could help prevent the truck accidents that kill more than 5,200 people a year and injure another 100,000. Critics say the rules could idle up to 40 percent of the truckers on American roads. Meanwhile, successful treatments for sleep apnea include a device that supplies oxygen during the night and keeps airways open, leaving truckers with sleep apnea rested and ready to go.
18 WHEELER ACCIDENTS TO INCREASE?
American drivers beware. Trucks are expected to carry 70 percent of all the freight moved across the U.S. by 2018, making them the largest mode of freight transport in the country. Meanwhile, government efforts to improve the safety record of big rigs and other trucks is moving slowly in some respects and lagging in others. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says action to prevent medically unqualified drivers from operating commercial vehicles is unacceptable. According to the NTSB, “Many commercial drivers whose serious medical conditions are known to their employers, health care providers and others are never reported to the appropriate motor vehicle licensing authorities….endangering the drivers and others.” www.ntsb.gov. The NTSB is also working to get trucks off the road faster if inspectors find mechanical problems or drivers that are unqualified. In March 2007, at the urging of the NTSB, The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) appointed experts from trucking companies, safety advocates and law enforcement to tackle the problem. The NTSB rates progress in this area “slow but acceptable.”
WANT TO SEE A BIG TRUCK HIT A CAR?
The legal weight for an 18-wheeler is 80,000 lbs. That’s 4 tons, my friend. The curb weight of a 2005 Toyota Camry is 3,164. So, it’s no contest, dude, when one of the big guys hits one of the little guys. Since “seeing is believing” as the old saying goes, click on www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePrD3oe8UIY That will drive it home. Car crashes with 18-wheelers can be deadly. Victims often wind up with catastrophic injuries to the brain and spinal cord. It’s best to consult an attorney right away after an accident with an 18-wheeler since some states have time limits on how long you can wait before you file suit. And be extra cautious on the highway around a big rig. Small mistakes at high speeds can be fatal.
