David J. Swarts, Acting Commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Chair of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC), urges motorists to Wake Up to the Dangers of Drowsy Driving - "You Snooze, You Lose."

"Sleepy drivers can be as dangerous as drunk drivers," Acting Commissioner Swarts said. "Drowsiness can impair driving ability, reduce reaction time and increase the risk of a crash."

March 5-11 is National Sleep Awareness Week, which coincides with the March 11 start of Daylight Savings Time. When the clock "springs forward," many people lose an hour of sleep, which can have serious consequences if they get behind the wheel.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drowsy drivers cause at least 100,000 crashes a year. Those crashes result in more than 1,500 deaths and 71,000 injuries.

Drowsy driving ranges from falling asleep at the wheel to simply not paying attention to driving because of fatigue or lack of sleep. Warning signs include difficulty in keeping your eyes open, repeated yawning, wandering or disconnected thoughts, drifting from your driving lane and failure to remember the last few miles driven.

Drivers should be rested before travel and should not attempt to stay awake by such remedies as opening a window, turning on air conditioning or playing loud music. Studies show that another popular choice, consuming caffeine, provides only a short-term benefit in driver alertness. The key to preventing drowsy driving to is to get adequate rest beforehand, share the driving with a passenger or take a break every two hours or every 100 miles.

Additional information on drowsy driving is available from the GTSC Web site at www.safeny.com.