An expert in sleeping disorders,  Dr Bertrand De Silva, has claimed that obese drivers are more at risk to themselves and others on the road because of a breathing condition that disrupts normal sleep at night.

Being overweight or clinically obese is one of the major risk factors in contracting Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). In OSA the soft tissue in the back of the windpipe collapses and blocks it, causing interruption in breathing lasting 10 seconds or more. This causes the OSA sufferer to encounter up to 30 disruptions per hour throughout the night, without even realising there is any issue.

As you can appreciate OSA is a condition that seriously disrupts sleep and can cause the sufferer to feel tired during the day and especially behind the wheel when conditions are often hot and repetive. Dr De Silva has siad that OSA can increase the likelihood of daytime sleepiness and increase the chance of having a road accident by two-fold.

An expert head of road safety at the AA suggested that falling asleep at the wheel happens to 1 in 10 motorists and that the most sleep associated accidents occur because the sleeper fails to brake in time when travelling at high speed.