Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common Sleep Disordered Breathing. OSA is associated with an increase risk of motor vehicle crash and effective treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) reduces that risk to the one of the general population. In commercial drivers an excessive prevalence of OSA has been reported, and the contribution of heavy vehicle crashes to road-related deaths appears to be substantial. Thus, assessment of the risk of OSA and development of effective methods to identify and treat professional drivers with OSA is necessary. Nevertheless, until now there is no consistency in the way OSA is considered by the Driving Licence legislations within the member countries of the European Union (EU), and most ignore OSA, even for professional drivers. The inclusion of OSA in the European traffic license regulations would represent a step forward towards driving safety. (Author/publisher)
Abstract