Apnea Stole My Drivers Licence #shorts

According to the Transport Accident Commission - 1 in 5 accidents is caused by driver fatigue. Most of you would know Sleep Apnea is a major cause of fatigue so here's the question. Should those diagnosed with OSA who are not treated lose their licence and those treated report to the transport authorities to prove they're not a road risk?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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[huntsbychainsaw]

I have OSA and was told if I did not accept therapy I would have my commercial driver's license revoked.

Also my respiratory therapist has access to all my sleep data via the modem in my Aircurve 10 and if I do not use the machine regularly he will report my noncompliance to the ministry and my license can still be revoked.

When truckers make mistakes people die so I accept the conditions under which I can maintain my license. Driving is a privilege, not a right.

On the plus side I would have never accepted therapy if I wasn't forced to and now that I have my sleep machine I feel 1000% better than I did before so win win.

[mrst]

Some of my clients, that had vision loss, would not stop driving. They had been given a medical notice, but didn't want to lose their "freedom" I can't imagine the people that shouldn't be driving for other reasons.

[MattyH]

My mate mentioned to his flight medical officer that he dozed off driving home after work, nek minnit, had to get full medical clearance and now he's on CPAP. He got his medical clearance and now back flying !

[frankgrimaldi]

In SA I have to have a medical test and lodge the report Licencing Authority yearly.

[raysmith]

I drive a passenger bus and at my last license renewal I had to go to a sleep specialist who reviews the data off my machine, did a lung function test and was satisfied that my OSA was under control. I am one of the people who sought treatment, but there are a lot of people out there driving who have not. That’s the scary thing. The other important thing to ensure is that your machine is calibrated and tested every 12 months, as if you are involved in a crash and it results in police action and they find out you have OSA, they will look at you under a microscope. If you can’t prove that your equipment was working correctly, it may not go well for you even though the data on the machine shows high compliance.

[btrowdy]

I have tried for 2 years to sleep on my sleep apnea device. No dice, I can't sleep with forced air.

[ucfxrup]

Truth is it depends. If it’s found out he or she is driving more than 5 hours and not getting treatment I can understand why that is a dangerous something for everyone. But for an hour driving to work. Not needed. Hopefully.

[clivewebb]

Hi...it's 14.5.2025 and I live in Worcester, UK. I'm 61 years old and last September reported myself to the DVLA as I had sleep apnoea symptoms. I was issued with a CPAP machine on 10.12.2024, but - possibly due to other 'sleep problems' I suffer from - I've found it very difficult to get used to. Last Wednesday (7.5.2025) I received a letter from DVLA telling me that I must not drive and my licence was being cancelled the following day. Now neither DVLA nor the hospital are responding to my emails/phonecalls etc. Help!

[A.Martin]

Like drink driving, it should be just if you have an accident and it was found at fault, or if you are pulled over and found to be impaired then you can get done for it.
However just because you are allowed to drive, doesn't mean you should if you are tired.

[keplix]

Define driver fatigue. That's doesn't always equal osa

[PedroFerreira-xjrl]

Fatigue does not equal sleep apnoea. There are many other factors at play. DVLA needs to provide factual evidence why the consider the driver a risk. Agree with the other comments there are many other more serious risks on the road. Why not suspend a driver's license when tested positive for drugs....What about drink driving, how many warnings/fines does a drink driver get before license gets suspended.

[theene]

In NSW any health condition that may affect your driving is monitored & an annual declaration is submitted by your GP to confirm you are safe to drive. Eg diabetes, certain eye conditions, sleep apnoea etc.

[gtrain]

What made me decide to get checked was the fact that I had to pull over and nap on the way home. In WA we have to have it listed on our license and get a dr assessment upon renewal. Remembering how bad I was before assessment I can see the benefits upon being checked up on, problem is most people who have been assessed are treating. It's the people who are unassisted and untreated.

[Livinonsunshine]

I feel more tired while using CPAP therapy. I have chosen NOT to drive because of this. I’ve rarely felt tired while driving but, if I did, I pulled over and rested. I know truckers here in the States are being required to pass physicals that also include PAP therapy.

[paulanddebherriot]

I am told the licenses are taken by insurance companies....eg no insurance no driving ...Paul HErriot

[ScottGrammer]

Before I was diagnosed, I had several instances of falling out momentarily while driving, one of them was scary. Once diagnosed on CPAP therapy, I have not had any more problems with it. So far as I know, here in the state of Tennessee in the USA, there is no connection between sleep apnea diagnoses and driver's licensing. Maybe that's because we have HIPPA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which (among other things) keeps government agencies from getting too deep into your healthcare information. That said, no one with sleep apnea who is not being successfully treated should be driving. Ask me how I know!

[garyporter]

I live in Alaska. I retired from commercial driving (school bus). All CDL drivers must pass an annual (if you use a CPAP) physical exam. This does not involve the sleep physician. As part of that exam, you have to provide a CPAP usage report to prove that your CPAP usage meets certain requirements, or no medical card.

There is no similar requirement for non-commercial (class D) licenses.

There were deadly bus accident a few years ago in Italy, a lot of children died. The investigation revealed that the driver fell asleep. He were diagnosed with sleep apnea, but the didn't use his machine. As I know even his doctor was under investigation, because he let the driver work.

[CraftsmanontheLake]

Before mitigation I couldn't drive longer than about 20 minutes. The wife often took over. I am self administering and can and have driven 6-8 hrs as we move cross country with a camper sometimes. No longer an issue. It's good to not drive sleepy but sometimes self administering keeps the docs from restricting you. That being said, We developed a rule in our house that we adhere to religiously. After a slight time to make sure you really are getting drowsy at the wheel, we pull over, let someone else drive, or take a 20 minute nap.

[THE_BaconPirate]

Here on this side of the pond (USA) we are required to submit a copy of our sleep reports during our annual DOT physical, primarily just to prove that we are using it. They do not nt however go into the process of determining if the machine is actually doing any good.