The American Thoracic Society (ATS) issued a press release stating that it is “extremely disappointed” with the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) decision to withdraw an advance notice of a proposed rule regarding screening commercial truck drivers and train engineers for sleep apnea. Abundant evidence indicates that undiagnosed or untreated sleep apnea is the root cause of many preventable fatal and non-fatal driving-related accidents, ATS states.

“By withdrawing this rule, under the guise of reducing regulatory burdens, our nation’s highways and rail systems are less safe and less reliable for us all,” says David Gozal, MD, MBA, immediate past-president of the ATS and sleep researcher, in a release. “We strongly urge the Administration to reconsider its decision and to move forward with the rule-making process.”