U.S. Department of Transportation
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'Be Ready. Be Buckled.'
Poster Contest Winner Announced

Sara O'Dell and David Hugel, FMCSA Deputy Administrator, pose with the 1st place poster at the awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

ARLINGTON, Va., May 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sara O'Dell of Pryor, OK was named the winner of the first annual "Be Ready. Be Buckled." children's poster contest, sponsored by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership, which includes the Department of Transportation (DOT), the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and other safety partners.

Sara, whose father Dennis is a professional truck driver for Air Products and Chemicals out of Pryor, OK, submitted a hand-drawn poster that conveyed the safety belt partnership message—that professional truck drivers need to "Be Ready. Be Buckled."

"Safety belts save lives, and the poster contest was an excellent way to encourage and remind truck drivers and their passengers to always buckle up and instill in our children a lifelong safety habit," said John H. Hill, Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). "Whenever truck drivers see this winning poster, I hope they are reminded to 'Be Ready. Be Buckled.' because their families and children need them."

Sara received a $1,000 savings bond and was recognized, along with her mother, in Washington, D.C., on May 5, 2008, during North American Occupational Safety and Health Week.

"The 'Be Ready. Be Buckled.' poster contest highlights an important safety partnership between the trucking industry and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration," said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. "I congratulate Sara on creating the winning poster that helps inform professional truck drivers of the necessity of buckling up."

In 2003, the Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Safety Belt Partnership was created to combat low safety belt use among the nation's CMV drivers. In 2007, safety belt use among professional truck drivers had increased to 65 percent. Previous safety belt usage surveys conducted by the DOT also demonstrate the effectiveness of industry safety initiatives. In 2003 the survey found that only 48 percent of truck drivers wore safety belts, compared to 59 percent by 2006.

American Trucking Associations, the national trade association for the trucking industry, is a federation of affiliated state trucking associations, conferences, and organizations that includes more than 38,000 motor carrier members representing every type and class of motor carrier in the country.

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