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Permalink Reply by D. W. Conn on August 4, 2009 at 5:07am

Mike your articles and questions are sure giving me a mental work-out. I have had to retrieve old notes and crack some books. Refresh my thinking…

Ok…
I do believe that a Pilot can and will fall asleep on the job if he suffers from sleep apnea and does not get enough sleep. However Pilot and Co-Pilot yes its possible they both have the same condition and fell asleep. But not sure I buy in to it. Maybe something else is keeping them up too late.
Anyway this story is a good argument as to why PSG and MWT should be required for all Pilots and over the road drivers seeking licenses.
A full polysomnogram will identify Sleep Apnea and or other sleep disorders that may cause excessive daytime sleepiness. Following the exam if they do not have apnea the Pilots, Truck Drivers, Ship captains etc should be held over for a MWT.
The Maintenance of Wakefulness Test maybe utilized to measure how alert you are during the day. It shows whether or not you are able to stay awake for a defined period of time (usually 40 minutes). This is an indicator of how well you are able to function and remain alert in quiet times of inactivity. This could be the cockpit of an airplane or the cab of a semi. This test isn’t limited to just these folks. It can and should be utilized for any individual suspected of driving drowsy. For more information see drowsydriving.com

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Permalink Reply by wallace j smith jr on August 4, 2009 at 9:33am

d.w. at what point would the mwt and psg be administered? and these tests are expensive who would pay for them? would this be conditional of receiving license ?

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Permalink Reply by D. W. Conn on August 4, 2009 at 10:07am

Usually the PSG & MWT is court ordered or required following an accident, so you can imagine the test subject is not happy being there in the sleep lab.
Fees are determined by fault if found guilty the individual pays. If the individual patient passes the exam it is usually absorbed by the plaintiff or Court.
This is in reference to an accident. The need for PSG and MWT can be recommended by the DOT during recertification.
This is by no means a new thing it has been around for a while. You will also note that in some states drowsy driving is treated as a Drunk Driving Charge. See drowsydriving.com for current laws for your state.


wallace j smith jr said:

d.w. at what point would the mwt and psg be administered? and these tests are expensive who would pay for them? would this be conditional of receiving license ?

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on August 4, 2009 at 5:35pm

To date I have only seen MWTs performed on pilots. New Jersey was the first state to criminilize drowsey driving, and i believe Kansas was the first to indict a person. At are lab if a pilot fails an MWT it will probably cost him/her their job.

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