A story in the Nov. 23 issue of the Reporter tells of Gov. Chris Gregoire proclaiming this week as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week and the efforts of an Issaquah couple – William Shaw and Mary Beth Haggerty-Shaw – to help bring that about. The Shaws know the consequences of drowsy driving all to well – their daughter, Mora, was nearly killed and still suffers injuries from when she was a passenger in a car that went off the road because of a drowsy driving event.

William Shaw is the publisher of the Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter, but that’s not why I’m writing this. I came frighteningly close to being a similar victim years ago when I was in college.

I, and two college friends, were driving from Seattle to Santa Barbara, Calif., in June to spend some time at the beach. We stopped at our fraternity chapters in Eugene, Ore., and Berkeley, Calif., along the way to spend the night. Unfortunately, we did’t get any sleep at the Berkeley chapter and instead decided to get a head-start on traffic by heading south in the middle of the night.

The next morning we were all tired, but were each taking a turn driving while the others slept. Even doing that, disaster was an eye-blink away.

I was in the front passenger seat, sleeping, when my eyes popped open only to see the car headed off the Pacific Coast Highway to a long drop to the beach below. I thrust my left hand onto the steering wheel, pulled the car back onto the road and the driver, now awake, brought us to a stop.

To say it scared the crap out of me is an understatement.

I drove the rest of the way and we arrived safely, but that image of the car and the cliff has never left me.

The problem with drowsy driving is it’s hard to see it coming. There’s the yawning and sudden awareness of having driven several miles without remembering the drive. You think I would know better, but I’ve done that, too.

I was smarter sometimes than others. On late night drives from Eugene to Portland after a weekend visit with my finance, I would fortify myself with a large Coke from McDonalds. Even so, that two-hour drive was a grind.

I can’t imagine the pain the Shaw family has gone through, especially knowing their daughter was an innocent victim. Mora still faces future surgeries.

The governor’s proclamation story includes a number of good tips to prevent drowsy driving. Most of them are common sense. The problem is that when were drowsy, that narrow divide between being alert and asleep doesn’t always leave time to grasp the looming problem.

Take a few moments now to check out the suggestions and, better yet, commit yourself to making them a part of any long drive you will undertake. The extra travel time is minor compared to a lifetime of living with consequences of drowsy driving.

Craig Groshart is the editor of the Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter. He can be contacted at 425-453-4233 or cgroshart@issaquahreporter.com.