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Safe driving pays off for Seattle man after contest

By Patranya Bhoolsuwan
By Patranya Bhoolsuwan

SEATTLE — A Seattle man is $2,000 richer today thanks to his excellent driving habits.

Russell Lebert is the big winner of the Seattle’s Safest Driver Contest that launched last November.

It’s a partnership between the city’s Department of Transportation and Pemco Insurance.

More than 4,000 people signed up to download an app that tracks everything from how fast they drive to how often they pick up their cellphones while behind the wheel.

Lebert scored the maximum of 100 points on all of his trips.

“It’s a little bit of luck and a lot of attention,” says Lebert, who is from Seattle. “There’s a lot on the road you can control.”

SDOT officials say they also saw improvements among other participants as well.

On average, the level of phone distraction went down 20 percent, harsh braking by 18 percent and speeding by 16 percent.

“Distraction and speeding are two of the top causes of crashes on our streets,” says Allison Schwartz, with SDOT. “It’s really great to see behavior change in an eight-week period.”

The app does not only track what drivers do inside the car, but what areas they go to and where they are most likely to speed or get distracted.

SDOT officials say the goal of gathering this data is not to ticket participants, but to get information to potentially improve streets and intersections.

Russell Lebert says his biggest tip to other drivers is to remind yourself every time you get in the car that safety is the priority.

“I get behind the wheel and I think, 'This is the most dangerous thing I am doing,'” says Lebert. “You need to take it seriously.”

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