Sleep-prone motorists warned of road risks

People who suffer from sleep apnoea are seven times more likely to fall asleep while driving, road safety experts have warned.

With 146 people killed on the country’s roads this year — one below the death toll for the same period last year — motorists are being cautioned about the impact the condition, and tiredness, can have on the risk of accidents.

The Road Safety Authority revealed startling statistics on how lack of sleep can lead to deaths on the roads, with fatigue said to be a factor in one-fifth of all collisions.