Metropolitan King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert and King County Sheriff John Urquhart are joining together to remind the public that this week (Nov. 1-7) is “Drowsy Driving Awareness Week” across Washington State.

“It’s startling to hear the statistics of how many people drive drowsy. People usually aren’t fully aware of how vulnerable they are to hurting themselves and others,” Lambert said in a press release. “It’s so vital as we approach the busy holiday season to remind people that this is a serious issue and lives are at stake!”

“Drowsy driving causes unnecessary deaths each year,” Urquhart said. “If you are feeling exhausted or drowsy don’t drive. It’s as simple as that.”

Recent statistics state that drowsy drivers cause 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and more than 100,000 accidents each year in the U.S. In Washington State in 2015 there were 2183 collisions and 9 fatalities where sleep and fatigue were the suspected causing factor.

Bill Shaw, publisher of the Reporter Newspapers chain, is also a strong advocate of increasing peoples’ awareness. Shaw’s daughter Mora was severely injured in an accident caused by a drowsy driver in 2006. She survived but went through many years of treatment. Since this accident, Shaw and his wife Mary Beth have worked on making the public more aware of this major impediment to safe driving.

“The Shaws continued dedication to the awareness of this important public safety issue is so important,” said Lambert. “Their strong commitment to educating drivers is helping keep this issue – and people – alive year after year. It’s vital that we all be more aware of the danger of driving when sleepy or drowsy.”

Some important points to remember about drowsy driving are:

• Anyone can fall asleep while driving – more than one third of drivers report falling asleep behind the wheel.

• There are some common sense things one can do to make driving safer:

• For maximum alertness, get enough sleep before your trip. Take a mid-afternoon break, and avoid driving between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.

• Take a passenger to keep you talking, watch for signs of sleepiness, and share the driving.

• Schedule a break every two hours or 100 miles to take a quick nap or get some exercise.

More information on drowsy driving is available at www.drowsydriving.org