U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Anne S. Ferro announced the winners of the 2014 “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” art contest. The selected winners were recognized at the official awards ceremony on May 5, 2014, in Washington, D.C.
First-grader Annie Yu from Edison, N.J., and third-grader Heather Li of Orlando, Fla., won top honors in the art contest. Annie and Heather received framed replicas of their artwork and a monetary award courtesy of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership. The artwork of the two top-honor winners and 10 other talented students will be included in the 2015 “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” art contest calendar, available this fall. In addition, the winning artwork will be on display all year at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters.
The annual contest is organized by DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership. This year, over 400 entries were submitted for the art contest which was open to children ages 5-12 with a relative or sponsor in the truck and bus industries.
“The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is proud to be a part of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership,” said CVSA Executive Director Stephen Keppler. “Safety belts save lives. What better way to remind our CMV drivers about the importance of wearing safety belts than through the artistic expression of the future generations of passenger and commercial drivers.”
“Seatbelts save lives and this contest is a positive way to engage our most precious resource, children, to promote driver safety throughout the United States,” said Secretary Foxx. “The calendars that feature these young artists also serve as a great year-round reminder to always buckle-up.”
Artwork by the following art contest winners will be featured in the 2015 “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” art contest calendar:
Andy Chen – Age 8, Grade 2, East Brunswick, N.J.
Sophie Erkkila – Age 11, Grade 5, Colgate, Wis.
Tanishk Khetan – Age 8, Grade 2, Edison, N.J.
Alex Li – Age 6, Grade 1, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Heather Li – Age 8, Grade 3, Orlando, Fla.
Aaron Pan – Age 6, Grade 1, Edison, N.J.
Keya Raval – Age 10, Grade 4, Edison, Wis.
Megan Schultz – Age 11, Grade 5, Hubertus, Wis.
Benjamin Wainright – Age 8, Grade 2, West Windsor, N.J.
Annie Yu – Age 6, Grade 1, Edison, N.J.
Caleb Zhao – Age 9, Grade 3, Potomac, M.D.
Lexx Zheng – Age 5, Kindergarten, Iselin N.J.
To learn more about the “Be Ready, Be Buckled” contest, visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safetybelt.
View photos 2014 art contest awards ceremony.
About the CMV Safety Belt Partnership:
The CMV Safety Belt Partnership is a collaboration among the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, other government agencies, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and other industry specific private-sector organizations designed to encourage safety belt use by commercial motor vehicle drivers.
Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership members:
Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)
American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA)
American Bus Association (ABA)
American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)
American Trucking Associations (ATA)
Associated General Contractors (AGC)
Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA)
DRIVE SMART Virginia
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
First Student, Inc.
Great West Casualty Company
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
International Registration Plan, Inc. (IRP)
Krueger Ergonomics Consultants
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)
National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT)
National Association of Public Funded Truck Driving Schools (NAPFTDS)
National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
National Private Truck Council (NPTC)
National Safety Council (NSC)
National Tank Truck Carriers, Inc. (NTTC)
National Association of Truckstop Operators (NATSO)
Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS)
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)
Professional Truck Driver Institute, Inc.
Property Casualty Insurers Association of America
REI Safety Services
School Transportation Florida Department of Education
Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA)
Truckload Carriers Association
United Motorcoach Association (UMA)