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Please sign this Petition calling for Sleep Apnoea Testing on Lorry Drivers - Yet Another Tragedy!
Link directly to Sign the Petition is epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/5851
A MUM is campaigning to raise awareness of a sleep disorder after her son was seriously injured and his fiancée was killed in a crash where the driver at fault had the condition.
Carole Upcraft has launched an e-petition calling for the government to pressure lorry drivers to have tests for sleep apnoea, which causes daytime sleepiness and fatigue.
Her son Daniel, 32, suffered brain damage and his fiancée Nicola Culshaw, 33, was killed when their car was hit by a lorry while queuing for the Dartford tunnel on the M25 in April last year.
The lorry driver, 40-year-old David Thomas from Upminster, was initially charged with causing death by dangerous driving, but the case was dropped when it was discovered he had undiagnosed sleep apnoea.
Library supervisor Mrs Upcraft, of Knoll Rise, Orpington, said: “There is no point in being vengeful here. We just need to find a positive out of what happened.
"We do not want another family to go through what we have gone through.
“Research shows that 41 per cent of HGV drivers have a sleep disorder of one kind or another, but most of them won’t be aware of it.”
Mr Upcraft and Miss Culshaw, who taught chemistry at Sydenham High School, lived together in Cowper Road, Bromley, and were due to get married three months after the crash.
Communications engineer Mr Upcraft was in hospital for 10 months after the crash, and has short term memory problems as a result of the brain damage he suffered.
Mum-of-three Mrs Upcraft, 55, said: “He was in post traumatic amnesia for 10 weeks after the crash. We had to keep telling him that Nicola had died because he would not take it in. It was heartbreaking.
“The loss of Nicola has left a massive gap in his life and ours too. We want to raise awareness of sleep apnoea so Nicola has not gone for nothing.”
To sign the petition, which needs 100,000 signatures to be considered by the government, go to http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/5851
Views: 731
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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How are you trying to increase awareness in the forums? I would think that these sites would already promote awareness. What do you do Ben?
Ben Enlow said:nevermind...I'm American. I tried to sign it, but couldn't...best of luck. My business is sleep apnea testing, screening and implementation (not an ad) of people in the transportation business so naturally I feel very strongly about what I just read. I am trying to increase awareness in these forums. Best of luck, once again.
Ben Enlow said:How do I sign the e-petition?
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Permalink Reply by Ben Enlow on
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Well, awareness meaning there is a quick turn-key process to treating sleep apnea. Awareness, albeit in a subtle manner, of my company, and awareness of the loss accompanied with sleep apnea in the transportation industry. We screen, diagnose, treat and monitor patients with sleep apnea, and we do it proactively. We take it to them, so to speak. We offer home sleep testing, internet questionnaire testing and remote compliance monitoring. While we work with the public or main focus is the transportation industry. If every truck driver could get tested 11.1 billiion in damages could be saved per year and 980 lives! That's raising awareness, drowsy driving and sleep apnea behind the wheel of an 18 wheeler is a recipe for disaster.
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Permalink Reply by Richard Mundy on
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Hi Ben,
You might like to look at my website www.truckershealth.org.uk, this is a self-help website designed for truckers, who are struggling with daytime sleepiness.
There are a couple of serious issues we have in the UK with regard to truck-drivers with OSA: 1. He will lose his HGV licence if he is dx with OSA and, 2. no-one in the transport industry is prepared to talk about it. The transport authorities' view is that a guy's health is his own concern; it is his responsibility to get something done about it, not the employer's. But the driver finds himself between a rock and a hard place: if he does nothing about his sleepiness he will most likely have a crash, which may be fatal. but if he does seek treatment, he will lose his licence and probably, his job.
His problems are made worse by the fact that his GP will most likely tell him he needs to lose some weight and leave it at that. In the UK the average length of time from first visit to his GP to getting a diagnosis from a respiratory specialist is two years; absolutely appalling. Many will have given up long before that; or been sent to prison.
In private, the driver can access the Truckers' Health website and download two medical standard questionnaires to take with him to his GP. This should shorten the time it takes to get diagnosed. The sites offer help in other ways, too, as you will see.
I would be interested to know what you (and any other forum members) think of the site. At present I am trying to get the Freight Transport Association on board, I have had a meeting with my MP and it has been passed to the Transport Minister in Westminster.
The whole question of dealing with commercial drivers and OSA is going to need a change in the law; and changes like that can only come from Brussels.
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Permalink Reply by Terry Vella on
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Kath, Just thinking out aloud, do you think this is a topic that our friend, Lee Dryden who is on www.sleepguide.com could write about in one of his blogs for The Oakland Press. He asks for suggestions for things he can write about Sleep Apnea.
I used to work in the trucking industry in Australia and sleep apnea was never mentioned about long haul drivers only drugs but I'm sure it is a major problem here as well.
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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on
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Good idea Terry. Have you time to contact him as it's bedtime here (30 mins later than planned). Good to hear you never had an accident in all your undiagnosed years. Rather scary isn't it?
Terry Vella said:Kath, Just thinking out aloud, do you think this is a topic that our friend, Lee Dryden who is on www.sleepguide.com could write about in one of his blogs for The Oakland Press. He asks for suggestions for things he can write about Sleep Apnea.
I used to work in the trucking industry in Australia and sleep apnea was never mentioned about long haul drivers only drugs but I'm sure it is a major problem here as well.
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Kath, Sorry I forgot about the time difference, I'll raise it with him, I didn't actually drive trucks, I managed the company and the drivers. We were one of the first companies in Australia to move more to rail to try to get away from driver fatigue, have a good nights sleep.
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Thanks Terry. Lunch time here now, and well ready for it too :)
Terry Vella said:Kath, Sorry I forgot about the time difference, I'll raise it with him, I didn't actually drive trucks, I managed the company and the drivers. We were one of the first companies in Australia to move more to rail to try to get away from driver fatigue, have a good nights sleep.
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What HST do you use? Are you a tech? Do you use techs? What is the turn around? Who reads the results?
Ben Enlow said:Well, awareness meaning there is a quick turn-key process to treating sleep apnea. Awareness, albeit in a subtle manner, of my company, and awareness of the loss accompanied with sleep apnea in the transportation industry. We screen, diagnose, treat and monitor patients with sleep apnea, and we do it proactively. We take it to them, so to speak. We offer home sleep testing, internet questionnaire testing and remote compliance monitoring. While we work with the public or main focus is the transportation industry. If every truck driver could get tested 11.1 billiion in damages could be saved per year and 980 lives! That's raising awareness, drowsy driving and sleep apnea behind the wheel of an 18 wheeler is a recipe for disaster.
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More good news on this subject from the British Sleep Society:-
The British Sleep Society is campaigning for potential life-saving cost-effective screening and treatment of OSA among truck drivers, to enable them to remain alert and drive safely. Early diagnosis and treatment not only reduces the risk of road traffic accidents, but also the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially hypertension, myocardial infarction and stroke, all of which are more common in those with OSA.
The British Sleep Society will be approaching employers, unions, road safety and governmental organisations as well as truckers and their families for support for such a scheme, which will benefit all concerned and reduce road deaths.
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