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Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Repeated interruptions of breathing during sleep, caused by partial or total obstruction of the upper airway. Often undiagnosed for years.
Last revision: 19.07.2026
| 19.07.2026 | OG image redrawn in the series style |
Estimated 4% of adults undiagnosed. Causes sudden daytime sleepiness without warning - directly relevant to driving risk.
During sleep, throat muscles relax and partially block the airway. Breathing stops for seconds or minutes, causing oxygen drops and micro-arousals. The person rarely wakes fully but sleep quality is severely disrupted. Daytime sleepiness follows - often without the person recognising it as a medical condition.
A driver with undiagnosed OSA may feel reasonably alert yet experience sudden sleep episodes - similar to narcolepsy in their unpredictability. The condition can cause crashes with no prior warning and no memory of the event.
The Quinto accident (A2, July 26, 2016) was caused by a driver with severe undiagnosed OSA. He was acquitted - the condition rendered him legally not responsible. The Sleep Centre of Lugano confirmed the diagnosis post-crash. No roadside test could have detected it.