Central Jersey Students Win ‘Be Ready. Be Buckled.' Contest

Fourth-grader Andy Chen's winning drawing.

A bright red 18-wheeler traveling down a hill overlooking a skyline and an ocean liner next to an impressive billboard promoting a safety message, and a school bus approaching celebrants at a green park were the top drawings in this year’s “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” art contest.

Andy Chen, a fourth-grader from East Brunswick, New Jersey, created the winning drawing showcasing the truck. The landscape for his piece is reminiscent of the Hudson County stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike approaching Manhattan.

Jessica Hong, a second-grader who also is from East Brunswick, produced the joyous school bus drawing featuring happy puppies and cute blue birds. Their works will be included in the “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” calendar. The winners were announced June 24.

Jessica Hong's drawing.

The contest is organized by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership that includes the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and 30 government and private groups.

“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,” U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Victor Mendez said. 

“Safety belts save lives, and their use by drivers has steadily increased during the past decade." FMCSA Deputy Administrator Daphne Jefferson said. "That is great news, because it means that every day, more and more people are returning home to their loved ones.”