Unconscious driving • A cause of road traffic accident
Most of the time when accidents happen on the road, we are quick to attribute the cause to careless driving, especially when there are no survivors to tell their side of the story.
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There is no gainsaying that a lot of accidents are due to human error, but there is one particular cause that I think may be contributing a lot to road traffic accident (RTA) but for which there are no statistics.
Becoming unconscious while driving may range from dozing off to sudden collapse or the development of stroke while behind the wheel. This cause of RTA, like all other causes, is also preventable.
When I was young, I found it difficult to believe that one could sleep while driving. But growing up, and God being so good, after acquiring my own car, I realised that this was not only possible, but also to be expected of anyone who steps behind the wheel without adequate sleep or rest. It is no wonder that very serious accidents happen at night. Night itself induces sleep.
People entrust their life to drivers, just as they do to doctors. They expect drivers to carry them safely to their destination and for which reason they are prepared to pay so much money, but oftentimes what they get in return is anything but a safe arrival.
I recommend that anyone who would be driving, and indeed commercial drivers who would be carrying passengers on a journey that would last more than four hours, especially at night, should have had at least six hours of sleep in the last 10 hours prior to the start of journey. Station masters must ensure this. In addition to this, long distance drivers should have a break of 30 minutes after driving continuously for three hours.
Too much food intake can also induce sleep especially when combined with night driving and inadequate rest and it is a recipe for disaster. This may be the cause of most accidents, especially during festivities such as Easter or Christmas.
Drivers who do not go for frequent health check-ups may fail to realise that they have high blood pressure or hypertension. They may appear normal. But uncontrolled, this hypertension will progress and one day, they may collapse suddenly and develop stroke while driving and for what will happen, your guess is as good as mine.
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I recommend that all drivers check their blood pressure frequently to ensure that those who have high levels are managed appropriately to avoid sudden collapse and stroke. I have on many occasions embarked on a free health education and screening exercise for organised groups, including drivers, and discovered that a lot of the people screened had dangerously high blood pressure levels. The exercise is still ongoing but has stalled as a result of frequent break-up of equipment and lack of logistics. There are plans to liaise with many transport unions to have drivers screened on a regular basis.
In a previous article I enumerated the important contribution of drivers to the socio-economic development of the country and for which reason the society must be grateful (Daily Graphic September 23, 2014, p 7). The society has a part to play as well as the drivers themselves as they can also lose their life in the process. We should all ensure that we have an accident-free festive occasion.
My little advice is that the law enforcement agencies should ensure discipline on the road, drivers should avoid unnecessary overtaking and speeding and ensure that their vehicles are well maintained but above all, they should not collapse behind the wheel.