Gov. Jay Inslee has proclaimed this week, Nov. 2-9, as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week in Washington. While this proclamation is a significant step toward awareness and prevention or drowsy driving, there is much more that needs to be done to keep this problem off of our roads and highways. We must change our own attitudes about drowsy driving.

Examples are not hard to find:

While in line at the bank recently, I heard a conversation between a customer and a bank teller. The customer told of his recent sports bike trip in the Cascades. He then casually said that he had been up for more than 24 hours before he drove back over Snoqualmie Pass to his home in Bellevue. The somewhat macho tone of the biker was as if driving while tired was also part of his extreme sport. And the teller was impressed.

A co­worker, who has a second job, mentioned that many times each week she only got around four hours of sleep each night. When she drove home from moonlighting at 2 or 3 in the morning, she was usually very tired. But she said “it was a straight line on the freeway,” and that she knew the way home — even when exhausted.

In 2006, our then 17-year-old daughter, Mora, nearly died from multiple fractures and a traumatic brain injury caused by a driver who had been awake for 24 hours and had fallen asleep at the wheel of her car. Several months after the accident, Mora was still in recovery and rehabilitation. During that time, we talked with the nurses and caregivers about what caused Mora’s injuries. A few of the nurses said that they regularly work double shifts each week and drove home exhausted after being up nearly 24 hours. Even in front of our daughter, they freely said they did not want any increased drowsy driving laws or penalties because they said caregivers were often the worst offenders.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that cognitive impairment after being approximately 18 hours awake is similar to that of someone with a blood alcohol content of 0.05 percent. (A BAC of .08 percent is considered legally intoxicated.) After about 24 hours awake, impairment is equivalent to a BAC of 0.10 percent, higher than the legal limit in all states. Not only every driver in our state, but also our legislators and our judges need to understand the widespread seriousness of drowsy driving, and how many people are injured and killed by this pandemic each year.

But like attitudes about drunk driving 30 years ago, like texting while driving and distracted driving today, the only thing that will really change attitudes, mindsets and habits toward getting behind the wheel of a car when drowsy is swift and sure penalties.

Before others are injured or killed by drowsy drivers, I urge our state legislators to beef up Washington’s reckless driving laws to include penalties if a driver injures or kills someone after deliberately getting behind the wheel of a car after being awake more than 20 hours. Or to find the vision and the guts to pass a specific drowsy driving law like New Jersey’s “Maggie’s Law.”

We want all drivers in Washington to be aware of their level of fatigue or alertness before they get behind the wheel of a car. This week, during the busy holiday season, and throughout the year, get some rest and save a life.

For more information on drowsy driving, go to the National Sleep Foundation at drowsydriving.org and AAA Foundation’ at www.aaafoundation.org

Some tips to avoid drowsy driving:

Bank it. If you know you are going on a long road trip or driving at night, get more than enough sleep (seven to nine hours) before you hit the road.

Don’t be too rushed to arrive at your destination. Many drivers try to maximize the holiday weekend by driving at night or without stopping for breaks. It’s better to allow the time to drive alert and arrive alive.

Use the buddy system. Just as you should not swim alone, avoid driving alone for long distances.

Take a break every 100 miles or two hours. Do something to refresh yourself like getting a snack, switching drivers, or going for a run.

Take a nap. Find a safe place to take a 15-­ to 20-minute nap, if you think you might fall asleep.

Avoid alcohol and medications that cause drowsiness as a side effect.

Avoid driving at times when you normally would be asleep.

Consume caffeine. The equivalent of two cups of coffee can increase alertness for several hours.

Certain physical symptoms should alert a driver to get off the road because of his or her fatigue level. These include: constant yawning, trouble focusing visually, drifting out of your lane, suddenly realizing that you can’t remember the last stretch of road traveled, or actually falling asleep and waking up after having continued to steer the car down the road.

William Shaw is the regional publisher for Sound Publishing and publisher of the Bellevue Reporter.