Commercial truck drivers play an invaluable role in your life by transporting the goods you and your family use every day. Still, if a trucker is not in good health, he or she may inadvertently put your life in danger.
Researchers recently examined the medical records of thousands of truck drivers. Alarmingly, 34% of truckers in the study had at least one medical condition that may interfere with driving abilities. Here are some medical conditions that may impair a driver’s performance.
Obesity
Because truckers work long hours, they often have little time for physical exercise. They also may not eat a healthy diet. If a trucker is obese, though, he or she may be at increased risk for certain medical conditions.
Business Insider reports that while on the national scale, 31% of workers are obese, 69% of truckers have the condition. Seventeen percent of truckers are morbidly obese, or 100 pounds or more over a healthy weight, compared to 7% of the rest of the working population of America.
Diabetes
Diabetes interferes with the way the body processes food for energy. If a truck driver is diabetic, he or she must closely monitor blood glucose levels. Unfortunately, a diabetic-related episode may make controlling a commercial vehicle virtually impossible.
Heart disease
If a truck driver has heart-related conditions, such as coronary heart disease, he or she may have an unexpected heart attack. Of course, if this medical emergency happens when the driver is on the road, a catastrophic trucking accident may be imminent.
Back pain
While serious medical disorders are certainly concerning, less serious ones may also be problematic for truck driver safety. Sitting for an extended time may cause a driver to develop lower back pain. This pain, in turn, may cause the truck driver to experience loss of motion or numbness, making safe driving difficult.
Many factors may contribute to a truck accident. If you have sustained a serious injury in a collision with a trucker, you likely want to investigate whether his or her overall health played a role.