People who suffer from the common sleep disorder, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, of which the most significant sign is loud and heavy, snoring, are seven times more likely to have a road accident than other drivers.Some research shows that more than 10% of drivers admit to having fallen asleep at the wheel.
Patients with snoring and sleep apnea exhibit poorer performance than control subjects on several types of driving simulators. In addition, the automobile crash rate for these patients has been estimated as two to three times greater than for all drivers. Those on sleep debt fall asleep at the wheels and cause fatal accidents.
Successful treatment of sleep apnea improves performance on driving simulator tests and decreases reported automobile crashes.