IDOT Announces Results of Sixth Annual Work Zone Safety Calendar Contest

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) today honored 12 students from across the state whose artwork was selected in the Sixth Annual Illinois Work Zone Safety Calendar Contest for 2010-11.  The drawings of the 12 finalists will appear in the 2012 Illinois Work Zone Safety Calendar, which will be distributed at IDOT events across Illinois.

“I would personally like to congratulate and commend each of the 12 students for their creativity, ingenuity and hard work to promote work zone safety,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig.  “We should all recognize and be proud of all contest participants for taking the initiative to illustrate work zone issues and for their support and dedication to roadway safety.  The calendar contest exemplifies the widespread young talent found across the great state of Illinois.”

The Illinois State Board of Education and IDOT joined the Illinois Chapter of the American Traffic Safety Service Association and the American Traffic Safety Services Foundation to coordinate the statewide calendar contest and promote work zone safety by introducing children at an early age to safe driving concepts.  The idea is to instill a lifelong awareness of work zone hazards and foster safe driving behavior in the future.  Children were asked to draw their view of a highway work zone.

A total of 115 schools submitted 723 drawings for the contest this year, a record for the most schools participating and total drawings submitted since the contest’s inception in 2005.

More than 4,490 students from schools across the state participated in the calendar contest.  Students in kindergarten through 6th grade in public and private schools were eligible to participate.  There were three categories: kindergarten through 1st grade, 2nd through 4th grade and 5th through 6th grade.

During the six years the contest has been conducted, about 13,590 students have participated in helping IDOT promote work zone safety.  IDOT’s ongoing message to students and their parents or caregivers is to become aware of the importance of driving safely in work zones.  The top 12 finalists from Illinois have their entries on the IDOT website.  Their drawings can be viewed at www.dot.il.gov/trafficsafety/WZS/WZScontest.html.