Any tragedy can be dramatized into a story. Typical of AP. Make a mountain out of a mole hill, so they can sell the story. We as gullible Americans buy into the dramatization and pay them to entertain us with tragedy. (paid through ad sales) Meanwhile they also get away with a slam against the government.
It is a known fact that the AP lies to make a story. I have been personally involved in one of their dramatizations, and they refused to print the truth, because the truth would not be as dramatic. Don't believe what you read. Much of what they say simply is not true.
TennesseeBob wrote: When you have sleep apnea you will fall asleep at the wheel, The wife woke me up twice as I was going off the road. Then I decided it was time to do the sleep study and then get a Bi-pap machine. Now I sleep at night and fully rested
when you have sleep apnea, you stop breathing in your sleep, not fall asleep. Since both my wife and a very good friend both have SA, this is closer to the truth.
I had sleep apnea, used a CPAP for about 20 years. Lost 35#'s and now I no longer need the CPAP.
Deen - Vancouver, WA
'02 Dutch Star 4090 (41+', triple slide)
435/1200 ISC Cummins/Banks PowerPak
'08 Honda Civic/dolly
'05 Honda Odyssey/dolly
NRA Benefactor Life Member
FMCA f47302s, Life Member: Good Sam, Newmar DP Owners Group
51st yr of RV'ing
I drive mostly in the midwest and I see many more 4 wheelers that have crashed than Trucks. I have never driven a truck, but from my observations for the most part, truck drivers have not been the problem on the road. It is the guy driving his car too fast for the road conditions and not paying attention.
If 5300 people died in accidents involving large vehicles, I guess that means that no large vehicles were involved in the other 35,000 traffic deaths each year?
All with drivers who have no medical certification at all.
Does AP demonstrate that all these deaths are the result of the failure of the CDL medical certification program? I see a half dozen questionable anecdotes.
As for the other 35,000, how many of those drivers were sick. How many just incompetent, inattentive, or irresponsible?
"Hundreds of thousands of tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States carry commercial driver's licenses despite also qualifying for full federal disability payments,..."
This is what is hard to understand. Are they collecting SSA Disability and still working?; driving a truck, no less?
Precision Guesses
Joe&Jan and--Penny, our city dogpound escapee
2003 Hurricane 30Q V10
2004 Jeep Liberty & VW Cabby toads, Blue Ox, Brake Buddy
The Falcon wrote: "Hundreds of thousands of tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States carry commercial driver's licenses despite also qualifying for full federal disability payments,..."
This is what is hard to understand. Are they collecting SSA Disability and still working?; driving a truck, no less?
It said they qualify for disability, not that they were collecting it. Maybe these are just good people who know there are jobs they can do and are working, as opposed to the other way around. (not suggesting that every one on disability could work)
RogerNCindy wrote: Troubling article, although I'm not sure what sleep apnea in the last two or so paragraphs has to do with crossing the median?
Perhaps they meant narcolepsy?
When you have sleep apnea you will fall asleep at the wheel, The wife woke me up twice as I was going off the road. Then I decided it was time to do the sleep study and then get a Bi-pap machine. Now I sleep at night and fully rested
when you have sleep apnea, you stop breathing in your sleep, not fall asleep. Since both my wife and a very good friend both have SA, this is closer to the truth.
When your sleep is interrupted by the stopping of your breathing you do not get an adequate amount of sleep. The quality of sleep is very poor.
Before getting my CPAP machine I would tend to fall asleep when driving. That was one of the reasons I had the sleep study done. Doesn't happen now since I get a decent nights sleep.
Clay (WA5NMR), Lee,(Wife) Codi, Brandi (Shelties) and Damncat (damn cat)
Full Timing in a 2004 Winnebago Sightseer 35N, Workhorse chassis, Honda Accord toad
Clay L - among other things, falling asleep while driving was one of my smoking guns and wifey finally got me in for a sleep study and a subsequent diagnosis of severe sleep apnea. With CPAP therapy I am now alert behind the wheel on long trips, can think clearer during the day, articulate myself in conversation, am in a better mood (most the time), and generally feel much more rested upon waking. I had no idea how badly this condition impacted my life until I sought treatment. Of course, this is not to say every person who has ever fallen asleep at the wheel has S.A. It is easy for S.A. sufferers to become so enthusiastic about their new "restful" sleeps that they think everyone needs these machines, kinda like that enthusiastic recovering alcoholic everyone knows who tries to talk everyone into joining A.A.
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