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.

ThinkFast Interactive brings a safety experience to schools

ThinkFast teams travel around the country and provide these hour-long educational programs on various topics.

What would you say or do if your friend was drinking or driving, or texting and driving? These are common questions that participants in the ThinkFast Interactive experiential program may be expected to respond to by acting out a scenario during an event that is visiting schools this week in Kansas.

ThinkFast Interactive is an event that travels across the country to teach teens important safety topics using culturally relevant sources and breakout sessions. Some topics include driver safety and traffic awareness, alcohol safety and awareness and drug misuse and abuse prevention.

Laura Moore, the Seatbelts Are for Everyone State Coordinator for the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office, said that the organization is based out of Michigan and has four teams that travel across the country and present to middle schools, high schools, colleges and community events.

Hundreds of high school students had the chance to learn about traffic safety behaviors in a fun and entertaining game show-style format. 

“The focus of each presentation can differ, but in Kansas we always focus on traffic safety,” Moore said. “The hour-long presentation is fun, hands on and completely interactive for the students. They compete against each other with questions, dance-offs and other theatrical events. There are multiple opportunities for students to win prizes so it’s also fun for them to walk away with a prize too.”

Moore said that over the years, different schools involved in the SAFE program have been selected to host ThinkFast.

“We hope students leave each presentation with a better understanding and appreciation of Kansas traffic law as well as a few reminders and facts related to seat belt use and risky driving prevention that they can share with family and friends,” Moore said.

“It has been beyond fun and so rewarding to see more than 500 high school students get excited, yell and dance about traffic safety,” Moore said.  “It’s a great change for students, teachers and administrators and it’s all sponsored by KDOT. We are able to reach the population with the highest risk in a fun way. As far as traffic safety education in high schools, I really don’t think it can get any better."

For more information, or to experience what ThinkFast Interactive is like, visit the website at www.thinkfastinteractive.com.