Washington Drivers Challenged

                                                                                         

May 22, 2008 was declared as Drive Nice Day throughout Washington State which was pronounced by Governor Gregoire. On this day of the year, Washington drivers are challenged to make an awareness endeavor to drive nice and help make it a collision-free day in the state.

Drive Nice Day was established by SWERVE Driver Training. It started last year to persuade drivers to drive with bigger responsibility and additional concern for their fellow motorists down the road. This grassroots initiative has vastly developed to a statewide effort sponsored by SWERVE Driver Training, AAA Washington, Allstate Insurance and the Washington Department of Licensing in cooperation with the Washington Traffic and Safety Commission and the Washington State Patrol In just a year.

"We wanted to find a way to strengthen our communities by inspiring individuals to be better drivers. Approximately 600 Washingtonians die in traffic crashes each year and most are preventable," said Fred Wright, CEO of SWERVE Driver Training.

In addition to this, the special driving day in the capital state is scheduled each year on the Thursday prior to the celebration of Memorial Day weekend which is shockingly popular to be one of the most dangerous and fatal weekends of the year on the road due to car accidents. Every year, countless incidents of total wrecked car parts and victims are accounted during this period.

"The only way to help people understand how to be collision-free for life is to change the patterns that currently exist on our roadways. The spirit of Drive Nice Day is all about inspiring as many people as possible to focus on making May 22nd a collision-free day in Washington state,” added Wright.

Car accidents are the main cause of fatalities in Washingtonians with victims under the age of 45 and rank third, following cancer and heart disease in limiting life spans before the age of 65. The Washington State Department of Transportation situates the complete cost of damaged vehicles and car parts and at over $5.6 billion annually.

"We can't ignore the obvious connections between driving nice and driving safe," said Angie Ward, spokesperson for the Washington Traffic & Safety Commission.

"Each year, we make a list of the safest drivers in the United States based on company claim data. Unfortunately, Seattle and Tacoma vied for positions near the bottom of our list in 2007. We hope that events like Drive Nice Day and the Drive Nice City Challenge will elevate the awareness of safe driving behaviors throughout the state,” says Lyndsay Pease, an Allstate spokesperson.

About the author:
Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.


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