"Risk of Truck Accidents by Medically Unfit Drivers"
The Georgia Injury Law Blog has posted an article that brings to light the problem of medically unfit truck drivers. By law, truckers are required to have a medical certificate that states they are medically sound to operate a truck. However, these are easily (and often) faked. Blank certificates are available from a government website, so all the driver has to do is print it and proceed to fill it out.
According to trucker health experts, drivers who work long hours, sleep little, eat possibly unhealthy and high fat food during their meal breaks and spend lonely hours from their families are more likely to be at risk for lifestyle dieses like heart disease. Besides cardiac diseases, truckers also suffer from neurological disorders and sleep apnea, a condition in which there are frequent disturbances in sleep. People who suffer from sleep apnea are more likely to be tired and fatigued the next day, and consequently, nod off at the wheel.
There are roughly 560,000 truckers who are receiving medical disability payments, yet still retain commercial trucking licenses. This means they are not fit to operate the vehicle, but possibly still are.
However by 2012, the government hopes to have a national database of truckers up that will file medical certificates and also enable examiners to file their findings. Hopefully this will help to control the dangerous problem of unfit truck drivers.
