U.S. Department of Transportation officials awarded the top honors in the 2016 “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” student art contest at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Fourth grader Andy Chen and second grader Jessica Hong, both of East Brunswick, N.J., were chosen as the top picks in the contest. Their artwork, along with the 10 other finalists, will be featured in the a “Be Ready. Be Buckled.” art contest calendar. The two grand prize winners will also receive framed replicas of their artwork.

All 12 winners receive a certificate and are invited to the awards ceremony at the Department of Transportation headquarters in Washington, D.C. The winners are also invited to a special event at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.

The annual art contest is aimed at promoting seat belt use in the commercial truck and bus industry. It is organized by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership that includes the FMCSA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and 30 other government agencies and private organizations. The contest is open to students in kindergarten through sixth grade who also have a sponsor in the commercial truck and bus industries.

“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 Federal Motor Safety Administration deputy administrator Daphne 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.”

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