FMCSA Launches Annual "Be Ready. Be Buckled." Safety Belt Art Contest for Kids

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced the launch of the 2014 "Be Ready. Be Buckled." student art contest organized by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership. Open to students in kindergarten through sixth grade with relatives or sponsors in the commercial truck and bus industries, the contest educates kids about highway safety and urges commercial drivers to buckle up on every trip.

"Safety belts save lives, and this contest is a great way to engage our kids in a conversation about the importance of buckling up before every trip," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "The calendars also serve as a year-round reminder about traveling safely on our roadways."

According to recently released data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012 (the most recent year available) 697 occupants of large trucks were killed in crashes.  Further analysis by FMCSA researchers revealed that approximately 40 percent were not wearing safety belts.

"Every year, thousands of lives are lost and injuries incurred in motor vehicle crashes because drivers and passengers fail to buckle-up," said Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "We can save lives by encouraging safety belt use 100 percent of the time, and this contest sets a positive safety example for the next generation."

FMCSA will accept contest submissions through Feb. 28, 2014. Students can submit their artwork by mail to the following address:

CMV Safety Belt Partnership
c/o CVSA
Attention: Lisa Claydon
6303 Ivy Lane, Suite 310
Greenbelt, MD 20770

Artwork will be evaluated in two categories: one for kindergarten through second grade, and another for third through sixth grade.

Twelve winners will be selected in March 2014 and their artwork will appear in the 2015 "Be Ready. Be Buckled." contest calendar.  

All 12 students will also be honored at a ceremony at USDOT headquarters to be held in the spring. 

To learn more about the "Be Ready. Be Buckled." contest, visit: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-security/safety-belt/index.htm.  

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 (FMCSA), other government agencies, and industry specific private-sector organizations designed to encourage safety belt use by commercial motor vehicle drivers. Saving lives is FMCSA's main safety goal. The partnership helps support this strategic objective.

Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership members:
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 Safety Alliance (CVSA)
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)

SOURCE Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

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