Washington State Patrol Runs Fatigued-Driving Emphasis Patrols on I-5 in Thurston County
On October 22, the Washington State Patrol's (WSP) commercial vehicle division conducted a fatigued-driving emphasis patrol on Interstate 5 between mileposts 100 and 111 in Thurston County, watching commercial drivers for signs of exhaustion while also enforcing other traffic and equipment violations.
The patrol said fatigue significantly degrades alertness, judgment, attention and reaction time, and severe fatigue can compromise a driver's ability to operate a commercial vehicle safely and raise the risk of a serious crash. Unlike many road hazards, fatigue is preventable when drivers recognize the signs and stop to rest. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 650 U.S. traffic deaths in 2024 were related to drowsy driving.
The emphasis patrols began October 7 and run twice a month, with further dates on November 3 and 24 and December 2 and 15. WSP hopes the patrols will raise commercial drivers' awareness of the dangers of fatigue and prompt them to stop before it affects their driving.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：华盛顿州境内的5号州际公路。摄影：Dougtone，CC BY-SA 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: Interstate 5 in Washington. Photo by Dougtone, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
