Nearly all truck drivers in Saudi Arabia 'sleep behind the wheel'

Truck drivers in Saudi Arabia better get some rest before stepping behind the wheel because many of them are falling asleep while driving. 

According to a recent study, a large number of truck drivers in the kingdom are drowsy while behind the wheel. Not only that, but about "95 percent of them had slept at least once" while driving. 

The study - which was published earlier this year - was conducted by researchers from Prince Sultan Military College for Health Sciences in collaboration with the center for medicine and research of sleep at King Saud University in Riyadh. It covered 338 truck drivers in the country, the majority of whom reported they had slept once while on the road in 2019.

The study's findings also indicated that around 94 percent of the drivers who took part "continue to drive for more than five hours every day." In addition to that, 29 percent of them are at risk of suffering from loss of breath due to health issues. 

According to the research, nearly half of those tested confirmed they had experienced drowsiness repeatedly while driving. Out of the 95 percent who had confirmed accidentally falling asleep while driving, "49.7 percent stated that this had happened more than 5 times during the last 6 months."

The alarming findings come just days after tens of trucks transported millions of pilgrims back to airports after they'd completed their Islamic pilgrimage rites in Mecca.

The results of the study led its conductors to warn that action must be taken to prevent accidents from taking place. They advised drivers against being behind the wheel for more than five hours at a time. 

They also urged local authorities to issue laws and take preventive measures to ensure drivers are medically fit to take on a role that holds them responsible for people's lives. 

Researchers hope their findings will prompt action that'll help bring down the high number of traffic incidents in the kingdom. 

Whether it's large trucks or personal cars, it has long been considered that road accidents are one of the major causes of death in the kingdom. 

On average, a traffic accident happens every minute in the kingdom, according to statistics published in recent years. This adds up to more than 460,000 crashes per year. In 2017 alone, the country recorded over 7,000 deaths related to car accidents. 

In 2016, 9,000 car accident fatalities - a number that translates to 12 percent of the total deaths - were recorded.