Governor Gregoire Proclaims May 21 Drive Nice Day, Challenges Washington to Be Collision Free

Seattle and Tacoma square off in second Drive Nice City Challenge, $10,000 grant from Allstate at stake

SEATTLE, May 19 -- Drive Nice Day, a day of awareness to encourage safe and responsible driving in Washington, is this Thursday, May 21. Governor Gregoire has proclaimed May 21 Drive Nice Day throughout the state and is asking drivers to help make it a collision free day.

"I'm proud to support Drive Nice Day," said Governor Gregoire. "I challenge drivers to make May 21st a collision free day in our state."

As part of Drive Nice Day, Seattle and Tacoma will compete for the second time to see which city has the nicest drivers in the Drive Nice City Challenge.

Drive Nice Day was founded in 2007 by SWERVE Driver Training, a Redmond-based driving school, to encourage Washington drivers to take more responsibility behind the wheel and Drive Nice.

"Our goal is to challenge drivers to take a close look at their own driving behaviors and inspire them to do better," said Fred Wright, CEO of SWERVE Driver Training. "Even good drivers can be great."

Since 2007, Drive Nice Day has grown into a statewide effort cosponsored with Allstate Insurance with the support of the Washington Department of Licensing, Washington Traffic Safety Commission and Washington State Patrol.

"Drive Nice Day is a terrific reminder that a little courtesy behind the wheel can make driving safer and more enjoyable for everyone on the road," said Liz Luce, Director of the Washington Department of Licensing. "Nice driving is safe driving."

This Thursday, observation teams will be at busy intersections scoring driving behaviors for the Drive Nice City Challenge. Drivers will be marked down for "not nice" driving such as speeding, following too closely and talking on handheld cell phones.

The city with the least instances of not nice driving will be declared the winner and receive a $10,000 grant from Allstate Insurance. Seattle won the 2008 challenge by a narrow margin.

Both Seattle and Tacoma rank low on Allstate's America's 2008 Best Drivers Report--146th and 170th respectively out of 200 cities.

"When challenging citizens to make better choices behind the wheel, both cities will come out winners," said Katherine Powell of Allstate Insurance.