The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its conclusions and recommendations on the Metro-North Railroad derailment that killed four people in the Bronx on Dec 1, 2013. The NTSB concluded that driver fatigue caused the deadly derailment, and that primary care physicians need better training to identify sleep disorders to prevent future drowsy driving accidents.
The AASM has been active in raising awareness about drowsy driving. AASM President-Elect Nathaniel I Watson, MD recently presented on drowsy driving to the NTSB as part of a full-day forum titled Awake, Alert, Alive: Overcoming the Dangers of Drowsy Driving. This month the AASM launched a new public awareness campaign called Awake at the Wheel, as part of the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project that partners with the CDC and other sleep organizations.
