Children and teens are not just tomorrow’s drivers — they can be very effective safety ambassadors today… as any parents who’ve been schooled by their kids on doing something wrong or breaking a rule can attest. And many kids are drawn to big trucks and buses, so they’re happy to learn more about them. That makes the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) annual Road Safety Art Contest, which launched in March, a winning way to introduce road safety early.
Originally designed for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, this year’s contest is open to students in grades K-12. It gives teachers and families a fun way to help children and teens learn about traveling safely around large trucks and buses. While there are many factors in road safety, sharing the roads with commercial motor vehicles hinges on understanding three operating constraints that can be readily grasped:
- These big vehicles can’t stop quickly.
- They need more room to turn safely.
- They have large blind spots on all sides.
Exploring and illustrating those safety concepts through the art contest is a creative way to makes a serious topic enjoyable and memorable. Recognizing that reaching and influencing young drivers is often easiest through peers, FMCSA is moving beyond only accepting hand-drawn art. Entries can be digital art, animated and live videos, crafts, and photos. Please encourage all the kids and teens in your life to get involved…the contest is open until June 4, 2021.
We’re also expanding opportunities for kids and teens to learn about road safety outside this annual contest by launching two new webpages featuring educational content and activities.
The Kid Zone includes kid-friendly safety information with animated videos, activities to download and print, including a coloring book and activity pages, and even information on earning a trucking industry Girl Scout patch. We plan to add an interactive “Choose Your Own Adventure”-style game on the webpage later this year.
The Teen Zone offers young drivers important techniques to apply on the road, relatable safety information, and videos and content from several of our partners — giving them a deeper exploration of safety through engaging content.
FMCSA proudly collaborates with 29 industry organizations dedicated to safety through the Our Roads, Our Safety partnership. The overarching Our Roads, Our Safety campaign educates people of all ages, from pedestrians and bicyclists through motorists and motorcyclists, on sharing the road safely with large trucks and busesYou can stay in the loop on FMCSA’s youth education and other safety initiatives by following the Our Roads, Our Safety Facebook page.
Next time you’re on the road with a young back-seat driver, it is never too early for a little education on road safety. And thanks for sharing the road safely, no matter how you travel!
