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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Fewer claims against city; costs down by $5 million
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
5/16/2005 1:00:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Office of the Mayor (206) 684-4000
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Fewer claims against city; costs down by $5 million
Pothole damage claims drop; vehicle accident claims below average as well
SEATTLE - For the third straight year, the city of Seattle’s claim and lawsuit settlement costs are down. Claim and lawsuit settlements/judgments in 2004 totaled $4.7 million compared to $5.8 million in 2003 and $9.7 million in 2002.
A total of 1,538 claims and lawsuits were filed against Seattle in 2004, compared to 1,665 in 2003 and 1,660 in 2002. Claim filings, which totaled 1,446 in 2004, are down from the 1,555 filed in 2003 and 1,564 in 2002, and well below the average of 1,773 claims filed during the 1998-2001 time frame.
“We place a high premium on safety for both cars and drivers,” said Mayor Greg Nickels. “Well-paved roads mean fewer potholes. Driver safety programs mean fewer accidents. Thanks to our emphasis in these areas, our claims are down.”
There were 103 street-defect filings in 2004, a 52 percent drop from the annual average of 216 filings over the 1998-2001 time frame. Potholes are considered street defects. Officials believe this reduction can be attributed to three things: the Seattle Department of Transportation’s (SDOT) pothole ranger program, which repairs potholes within 24 hours after being reported; an expansion of SDOT’s street overlay program; and the relatively mild winter weather.
In 2004, claims resulting from accidents involving city vehicles totaled 272, which is 18 percent below the 331 average for the 1998-2001 period. Officials credit improved driver safety programs implemented by City Light and Parks with the reduction in claims.
City Light now sends all employees who drive as part of their jobs through defensive driver training, actively investigates all accidents, counsels and retrains employees involved in multiple accidents, obtains five-year driving records before making hiring decisions, and screens out drivers with bad records. City Light’s driving accident claims have fallen from an average of 61 during the period of 1998-2001 to 37 in 2004.
Parks has also placed increased emphasis on safe driving and requires employees who drive three or more days per week and more than three miles per day to receive defensive driver training. The department actively investigates all accidents, counsels and retrains drivers involved in multiple accidents, and obtains and reviews a three-year driving record before making hiring decisions. Parks’ claims have dropped from an average of 47 during 1998-2001 to 31 in 2004.
Get the mayor’s inside view on initiatives to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm.
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Office of the Mayor
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