Creative campers participate in the Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day poster contest

Creative kids used crayons, markers and colored pencils to create their safety messages for the Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day poster contest. 

By Deb Gruver
South Central Kansas Public Affairs Manager

Armed with crayons, colored pencils and markers, students at a recent arts camp at CityArts in Wichita dove right in to the poster contest for Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day.

“Miss Deb, does this look good?” was an oft-repeated question by the smallest kiddos in the group – one of whom made sure everyone knew she was 6¾, not just 6.

So was “Miss Deb, how do you spell ‘buckle’?”

A camper works on their poster entry.

Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day is Oct. 10. The annual campaign seeks to bring awareness to lives lost on roads. About 37,000 people die in traffic crashes each year across the United States.

Campers said they always use their seat belts and tell their parents or other caregivers to use theirs. They made a promise to nag their parents or caregivers about putting their cell phones away.

After a brief lesson on safe driving, the students created posters showing drivers and passengers safely buckled into their seat belts, drivers looking intently at signs and lights and cell phones X’d out because driving while distracted is a huge cause of fatal and other crashes.

A group of campers create posters for the Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day contest.

The poster contest gives Kansas children ages 5 to 13 the chance to win prizes such as a Kindle Fire tablet, gift cards and movie passes. Judges will select regional winners in three age categories – 5 to 7, 8 to 10 and 11 to 13. Then, they will choose three statewide winners from the 18 regional winners. Each regional winner will receive a bicycle and helmet from the Kansas Turnpike Authority and Safe Kids Kansas. Statewide winners will each receive a Kindle Fire tablet and case from the KTA, a $50 Amazon gift card from the Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association of Kansas, a $50 Walmart gift card and movie passes from AAA Kansas.

Entrants must submit their art on 8.5”-by-11” paper and use paint, crayons, pencils, pastels and collages. Computer-aided drawings aren’t allowed.

Entries must be postmarked by Sept. 21. More details about how to enter are available at http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/events/brakesonfatalities/2018_PBFD_PosterContest.pdf.

A video contest is open to Kansas and Kansas City metro teenagers in eighth through 12^th grades. Videos must focus on themes such as distracted driving, wearing seat belts and texting while driving and be between six and 60 seconds. Videos are due by midnight Sept. 30. The submission form is at https://www.ksturnpike.com/contests/ptbof-submission-form.