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Truck driver accident: Citing the increasing risk of road accidents due to lack of adequate sleep among truck drivers, a doctors' organization has recommended regular 'sleep screening' of truck drivers every two years in the country. It has been suggested to start the system of health check-up. Dr. Rajesh Swarnakar, President of 'South East Asian Academy of Sleep Medicine' said on Sunday, 'The risk of road accidents is increasing due to truck drivers not getting enough sleep. In view of this, Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) should fill a form every two years asking truck drivers what is their Body Mass Index (BMI), whether they sleep during the day and whether they snore while sleeping at night. ?'
He said that by analyzing the answers to these questions and medical examination, it can be found out whether the truck drivers are suffering from 'sleep apnea' or other sleep related diseases. Citing an estimate, Swarnkar said that if truck drivers take seven to eight hours of sleep every day during work, the risk of road accidents can be reduced by 43 percent.
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Driver Dharmendra Sharma, who prepares his truck for a long journey in Indore's Transport Nagar, says that during work he is able to sleep only for two to four hours a day, due to which he remains lethargic and his concentration is also affected.
When we spoke to some other truck drivers in Transport Nagar, we learned that they too were struggling with similar sleep problems.According to drivers, due to traffic jams and queues at toll booths, there is pressure on them to deliver the goods to the destination as quickly as possible. And if they sleep with their trucks parked on the roadside, they fear that diesel, spare parts and accessories might be stolen from the vehicle. As a result, they are unable to sleep properly during work.
Meanwhile, CL Mukati, president of the national RTO and transport committee of All India Motor Transport Congress, a major body of transporters, has welcomed the idea of 'sleep screening' of truck drivers. He said that the transport department should authorize hospitals to conduct regular health checkups and 'sleep screening' of truck drivers.
He said, 'If in this investigation any driver is found to be suffering from any sleep related disorder then he should be given free treatment. If the government wants, our organization can also provide funds for this.
Mukati said that the working hours of drivers should also be fixed. He said, 'The government should build rest houses for truck drivers every 200 kilometers on the highways so that they can sleep peacefully.'
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep related disease. Talking about the center of sleep apnea, the sleep of the person suffering from it gets disturbed many times. In many cases breathing may also stop. When sleep apnea occurs, a person changes sides many times. According to a study, 13 percent of the country's population is suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. This figure among men is 19.7 percent, while among women it is 7.4 percent. In case of sleep apnea, conditions like stopping breathing or changing sides can occur thirty or more times in an hour. This is a disorder that can also cause other sleep-related problems.