The dangers of driving while sleepy
Sleep apnoea causes excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue. It also reduces your coordination, concentration, attention span and reaction time.
- Approximately 20% of all motor vehicle crashes on motorways or highways are due to sleepiness while driving.
- If you have sleep apnoea with daytime sleepiness you are almost two and a half times more likely than other people to have a motor vehicle collision.
- If you have sleep apnoea with daytime sleepiness you are less vigilant and your reaction to hazards is much slower.
Driving guidelines
The rules for driving with sleep apnoea depend on where you live. In general:
- You should stop driving if you have sleep apnoea with daytime sleepiness that is bad enough to impair driving.
- If you have moderate or severe sleep apnoea you should also stop driving even if you don’t feel sleepy.
- In some countries you may be required by law to inform the local driver licensing authority if you have sleep apnoea with sleepiness that is bad enough to impair your driving and require treatment. It is best to discuss this with your sleep specialist.
- Once you receive treatment for sleep apnoea and your symptoms resolve, your risk of collisions returns to normal and you will be deemed fit to drive.
- You will be reassessed every one to three years, depending on where you live.
Commercial drivers
If you drive a commercial vehicle you need to be able to concentrate for long periods of time. You have to be continually alert and responsive. It is crucial that sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea are recognised and treated with urgency. Your treatment should be ‘fast-tracked’ to ensure you can resume safe driving as soon as possible.
Your responsibility
It is your personal responsibility to drive safely. Please use common sense. If you have untreated sleep apnoea or if you are feeling sleepy, it is best not to drive. It is not worth endangering your own life, or the lives of other road users.
