The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the two winners of this year’s “Be Ready, Be Buckled” Safety Belt Student Art Contest at a ceremony at the U.S. Department of Transportation building in Washington, D.C.
Second grader Sophia Chen from Edison, N.J., and fifth grader Richard He from Parsippany, N.J., won top honors for their illustrations that stress the importance of commercial truck and bus drivers using their safety belts every time behind the wheel. In addition to the two winners, 10 other students were acknowledged during the ceremony for their participation in the contest.
“One of the easiest and most effective ways to make our roads safer is to buckle up,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This contest teaches kids to think safety first and reminds all of us that wearing a safety belt can save a life.”
The “Be Ready, Be Buckled” student art contest is organized by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership, which includes FMCSA and 29 other government agencies and organizations. Open to students in grades kindergarten through five with relatives in the commercial truck and bus industries, the contest educates kids about highway safety and urges commercial drivers to buckle up on every trip.
“When drivers of 40-ton trucks and passenger buses wear their safety belts, they make our roads safer for everyone,” says FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro. “It’s exciting to see kids take the lead on safety by encouraging their families and communities to buckle up.”
At the announcement ceremony, the two contest winners were presented with a certificate of appreciation signed by LaHood, Ferro and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator David Strickland. Additionally, both winners received framed replicas of their artwork and a $100 U.S. savings bond courtesy of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership.
