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2020 Work Zone Safety Poster Contest

2020 Work Zone Safety Poster Contest

Participate at Home!

Kent County Road Commission (KCRC) and the City of Kentwood Public Works Department are adapting the fourth annual Work Zone Safety Poster Contest to help more students - of all ages - stay home, stay safe and participate from home through April 24.

The poster contest supports National Work Zone Awareness Week, running April 20 – 24, and promotes using caution and care while driving through a work zone.

How to participate: Originally introduced as a third-grade program, students of all ages are now invited to participate! Students are asked to design a “caution sign” that focuses on one of the following safety tips for driving through a work zone:

  • Stay Focused/Avoid Distractions. Dedicate your full attention to driving. Avoid distractions like using a phone, eating or adjusting dashboard controls like the radio.
  • Obey Flaggers and Work Zone Signs. Flaggers are people who help direct traffic safely through work zones. It is important that motorists obey directions given by flaggers and any temporary traffic control signs or devices. These help to define a safe path through the work zones.
  • Slow Down, Move Over. Workers are often just feet away from motorists. That’s why Michigan’s “Move Over” law requires drivers to move over one lane when an emergency or road agency vehicle is on the side of the road with its lights flashing. If it is not possible to move into another lane due to traffic, weather, or road conditions, the motorist should slow down and pass with caution.

How to Create the Sign:

  • Use the Sign Template (can be printed on 8.5 x 11 paper) OR
  • Draw the sign (in the shape of a diamond)

Students may use crayons, markers, colored pencils, pens and/or pencils to create their design. Posters (i.e. caution signs) should emphasize creativity, originality, and a strong safety message.

How to Share:

  • Families can post the student's design to their own Facebook or Instragram and tag Kent County Road Commission (@MIKCRC) OR
  • Scan or take a picture of the student's "warning sign" and email it to Maura Lamoreaux at mlamoreaux@kentcountyroads.net so that we can share it on our social platforms. Make sure to include the student's name, and we will email your student a "Certicificate of Appreciation" for participating

Deadline: The poster contest has been extended to April 24. (Thank you to all of the teachers and educators who mailed or dropped off classroom submissions before schools were closed. We have your wonderful submissions and will contact you directly!)

Video Resources

  • Kent County Road Commission Workers Discuss Work Zone Safety
    About: KCRC employees provide an insider’s perspective about what it’s like to work in a construction zone, alongside oncoming traffic. (Duration: 2 minutes, 45 seconds)
  • Construction Zone Safety
    About: The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) produced this instructional video for motorists that provides safety practices and tips to use when driving through a work zone. (Duration: 6 minutes, 54 Seconds)

Questions? Please contact Maura Lamoreaux, Communication Manager, Kent County Road Commission at 616-242-6949 or mlamoreaux@kentcountyroads.net.

Pictured above: 2019 Work Zone Safety Poster Contest Winning Entries