As an active member of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Safety Belt Partnership, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) attended the 2016 “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” student art contest awards ceremony at the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2016.
U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Victor Mendez and FMCSA Deputy Administrator Daphne Jefferson awarded top honors in the 2016 “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” student art contest to fourth grader Andy Chen and second grader Jessica Hong, both of East Brunswick, New Jersey.
“Although a record high 84 percent of commercial motor vehicle drivers are using safety belts, we want that number to be 100 percent,” said CVSA Executive Director Collin Mooney. “CVSA’s involvement with the CMV Safety Belt Partnership demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the education of drivers and motor carriers on the life-saving value of simple safety belt usage.”
The annual “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” student art contest is organized by the CMV Safety Belt Partnership, which includes CVSA as well as more than 30 government agencies and private organizations. The contest is open to students in kindergarten through sixth grade who have a sponsor in the commercial truck and bus industries.
“This one simple step – buckling up every trip, no matter how short the distance – is the first line of defense in protecting against injury in the case of a crash,” said Deputy Secretary Mendez. “Whether you are a parent, a caregiver, a friend, or a colleague, it is your responsibility to ensure that every passenger riding in your vehicle securely fastens his or her safety belt.”
“Safety belts save lives and their use by drivers has steadily increased during the past decade. That is great news because it means that every day more and more people are returning home to their loved ones,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Jefferson. “We want the protection of a seat belt applied to every passenger riding in a large truck. It can be the one thing you do that saves your life in a crash.”
Below is a list of the 12 students whose artwork will be featured in the “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” art contest calendar, which will be released in fall 2016:
- Grand Prize Winner: Andy Chen – Fourth grade from East Brunswick, New Jersey
- Grand Prize Winner: Jessica Hong – Second grade from East Brunswick, New Jersey
- Benny Chen – Second grade from East Brunswick, New Jersey
- Jessie Chen – Second grade from East Brunswick, New Jersey
- Heather Li – Fifth grade from Orlando, Florida
- Meaghan Li – First grade from Orlando, Florida
- Aldrick Liu – Fifth grade from Edison, New Jersey
- Aaron Pan – Third grade from Edison, New Jersey
- Sai Raval – First grade from Edison, New Jersey
- Adam Sommo – Second grade from Metuchen, New Jersey
- Noah Sommo – Fourth grade from Metuchen, New Jersey
- Helen Zhang – Sixth grade from Mountainside, New Jersey
To learn more about the “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” art contest, visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safetybelt.