Coinciding with the sleep apnoea year declared by the Spanish pneumology and thoracic surgery society SEPAR through its Respira foundation, the abertis foundation has co-operated in the Respira campaign to inform the public about the risks of sleep apnoea during the days when people were setting off for the early December break in Spain. With the slogan “Don’t go to sleep at the wheel!” the Respira foundation handed out 500,000 leaflets to raise awareness among drivers. The abertis foundation’s support for this scheme forms part of its Road Safety Programme.

Sleep apnoea is a sleep respiratory disorder which affects between 5 and 7 million Spaniards – over two million of these seriously – but less than 10% of cases are properly diagnosed and treated. Drivers who suffer from sleep apnoea are at six times the risk of having a road accident, rising to eleven times higher if they consume alcohol.

The leaflet lists some of the effects on driving which may help to spot the disorder. A feeling of disquiet, constant movements in the seat, yawning, difficulty in concentrating, difficulty in keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front or the car weaving from side to side might be signs that the driver is in a risk situation.

The most typical profile of the apnoea sufferer is an overweight middle-aged man who snores. The illness is also related to high blood pressure and has been shown to cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular problems, as well as neurological disorders.

Tiredness is a factor in one in five accidents

According to the DGT, the Spanish general traffic directorate, 20% of road accidents are related to tiredness which, along with speeding and alcohol, is one of the major accident risk factors. In fact, 4% of drivers are known habitually to suffer from tiredness while driving and 700,000 drivers in Spain suffer chronic tiredness, for which reason their risk of an accident is 13 times higher than the rest of the population. Experts say that there are more than 30 illnesses which can cause excessive tiredness, but that of these sleep apnoea is the main disorder involved in habitual tiredness while driving and the accident rate arising from this.

Though they may happen at any time, accidents related to sleep are most common between midnight and 6am and between 2 and 5pm. They occur at high speeds, there is often only one vehicle involved in them and the crash is caused by going off the road, the driver being alone and unable to do anything to avoid the accident.