Los Angeles County-Wide Traffic Safety Poster Contest.

Hyundai Motor America together with the California Office of Traffic Safety; Los Angeles Police Department; Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)– School Safe Traffic Zone, the Commission for Children, Youth and Their Families and Safe Moves, a non-profit organization dedicated to traffic safety education, announced a call for entries to the first county-wide traffic safety poster contest. The competition is part of an in-school custom publication developed in partnership with La Opinion newspaper, educating K-3 students and their parents on traffic safety issues, while incorporating a poster contest to increase students’ traffic safety awareness and bring out their creativity skills. Students are encouraged to pull from personal traffic related experiences for the poster subject content leading others to safety through example.

The publication presents children with graphic stories featuring the Hyundai Traffic Safety Mascot – Kangaroo, while presenting parents and teachers with written stories on the traffic safety subjects. The final page includes the contest entry information as well as an opportunity to name the Traffic Safety Kangaroo. A total of 400,000 handbooks will reach students from the LAUSD, non-LAUSD schools, childcare centers and as an insert in the Sunday edition of La Opinion Newspaper.

The poster contest is divided in two categories, category 1 for students enrolled in grades K – 1 and category 2 for grades 2 – 3. Each category will be judged and awarded separately. The prizes for each category are: Winner will receive a $500 US Savings Bond and framed poster, 1st runner up will receive a $250 US Savings Bond, 2nd runner up will receive a $100 US Savings Bond and six honorable mentions will each be awarded a $50 US Savings bond. Each participant will receive a Hyundai Safetyville Certificate of Completion. Entries will be accepted until February 15, 2005 and winners will be announced
in April of next year.

In an effort to further safe guard children around schools, the Los Angeles Police Department together with the Commission for Children, Youth and Their Families initiated the Safety Valet Program when an investigation of community complaints at or around elementary schools revealed the need for crossing guards or traffic controls. However, most schools do not meet the criteria set by the Department of Transportation for a paid crossing guard. Therefore, the need for the volunteer Safety Valet and Crossing Guard Programs became a necessity for the control of traffic and pedestrians around schools.
The Safety Valet and Crossing Guard Programs are composed entirely by volunteers costing little to taxpayers.