First published by FMCSA
Announcement Recognizes National Truck Driver Appreciation Week
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi today announced the winners of the 2021 Road Safety Student Art Contest via a congratulatory video.
“Every year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration asks young artists to help raise awareness about how important it is to keep people safe on the road – and this year’s submissions were terrific,” said Secretary Buttigieg. “I want to thank every student who chose to share your art with us.”
“You’ve used art to create powerful and important messages,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi in congratulating all of the winners, adding, “What you’ve done with color and images drives home the message of safety in a way words alone just cannot.”
The winning artwork of the following 12 students will be showcased in the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters building in Washington, D.C., as well as featured in the 2022 Road Safety Student Art calendar that will be available later this year.
Grand Prize winners:
Kindergarten – 5th Grade Category: Avni Choudepally, Cary, North Carolina
6th – 8th Grade Category: Amy Lin, Belle Meade, New Jersey
7th-10th Grade Category: Abigail Regnier, Jefferson City, Missouri
11th – 12th Grade Category: Olivia Stone, Anchorage, Alaska
FMCSA People’s Choice Art Contest Awards Winners:
Aaban Mahmood, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
Abby Chan, Crofton, Maryland
Honorable Mention recipients:
Pranav Balakrishnan, Plano, Texas
Preetiggah Sudhakar, Simpsonville, South Carolina
Yohann Lee, Studio City, California
Karthikeya Vattem, McDonald, Pennsylvania
Lynn Sun, Livingston, New Jersey
Noah Cho, Wheaton, Illinois
This year’s Road Safety Student Art Contest challenged students ranging from kindergarten through high school to design and create motivational artwork providing safety messaging for all roadway users — truck and bus operators, passenger vehicle drivers, motorcyclists, scooter riders, bicyclists, skateboarders, and pedestrians.
Conducted annually, the contest is sponsored under FMCSA’s Our Roads, Our Safety Partnership, which comprises more than 30 governmental, safety, industry, and private organizations. Every roadway traveler, young to old, can help save lives and reduce injuries by always making safety a priority. Always buckle up, avoid becoming distracted, stay alert, and pay attention when entering crossways.
The young artists call on commercial truck and bus operators to do their part for safety, while also reminding everyone to give large commercial motor vehicles extra room to maneuver. Never cut in front of a large truck or bus, never tailgate, and most importantly, avoid lingering in the drivers’ blind spots – “The No Zone” – along the sides, immediately in front, and behind the vehicle where you cannot be seen.
The art contest winners are announced this week as truck drivers throughout the country are being honored for their contributions to keeping the economy moving and safely delivering essential goods.
“During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, the Nation recognizes the absolute vitalness of the trucking industry to the Nation’s supply chain and overall health of our economy,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Joshi. “All our food, medicines, fuel, supplies we need to survive – everything is transported by a professional truck driver. In just the past eight months, millions of grateful Americans have been protected from the pandemic thanks to countless hero truck drivers who delivered the COVID-19 vaccines. We owe them an incredible debt of gratitude,” she added.
To learn more about the Road Safety Student Art Contest and to see the winning entries, visit https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/OurRoadsArtContest.
NOTE TO EDITORS: High-res photos of the winning artwork is available at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/OurRoadsArtContest
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