Seattle’s first automobile hit the road. It was a time of rapid development but little regulation. Traffic lights, warning signs, road markings, speed limits, standardized rules of the road, and driver’s education classes did not yet exist. As automobile ownership spiked, so did accidents that resulted in serious injuries and loss of life.

Sixty percent of automobile fatalities nationwide involved children. Such casualties led to a public outcry and a national demand for driver training, safety initiatives, and traffic laws. Around the country, cities held “safety parades,” complete with children dressed as ghosts, to draw attention to automobile-related deaths.

It was against this backdrop that regional safety councils, including the Seattle Traffic & Safety Council, began to form throughout the country.

The Council advocated for safety standards and reached out via classes and public awareness campaigns targeting motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians, as well as the general public. We were among the first in the state to offer driver’s education classes, including driving and automobile maintenance classes for women.

We sponsored contests, brought in nationally recognized public safety experts to speak at events and forums, and issued awards to professional drivers who maintained accident-free driving records.

We were involved in lobbying efforts to adopt roadway safety standards, and made recommendations to city and state officials on the subject of everything from traffic signal placement to the implementation of parking meters.

As America ramped up its production lines to support the war effort, workplace accidents and injuries skyrocketed. In 1943 we expanded to address this issue, as well as those of home safety and fire prevention. A name change to the Seattle Safety Council signaled this broader scope of advocacy.

In 1954 we underwent another name change, to the Seattle-King County Safety Council, before adopting the name Evergreen Safety Council in 1971. It reflected our mission of promoting workplace and roadway safety, as well as a service area that encompassed the entire Pacific Northwest.

Like our name, our full slate of training and community programs has changed with the times. Offerings over the years have included programs related to boating and aviation safety, health and wellness in the workplace, personal safety and self-defense, and substance abuse awareness, among others.

Under the leadership of then-executive director Monty C. Lish, we developed new training and certification programs in traffic control, flagger training, pilot/escort vehicle operation (PEVO), motorcycle training, and defensive driving. Our occupational safety, health training, and workplace compliance programs were also expanded during this time.

Headquartered in Western Washington, Evergreen Safety Council continues to offer state-of-the-art safety programs. We offer online and in-person training courses for pilot car operators, wind industry transport teams, flaggers, Traffic Control Supervisors, forklift operators, and defensive driving.