By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizonans have cast their votes and selected two winning safety messages in the Arizona Department of Transportation’s annual contest.
Read more Corona del Sol football coach arrested after alleged Mesa road rage shooting
The public cast more than 3,900 votes among 10 finalists. The two winning traffic safety messages are:
- MAIN CHARACTERS ALWAYS WEAR SEATBELTS
- DON’T BE A STATISTIC, DON’T DRIVE BALLISTIC
“I’m excited to see that thousands of Arizonans participated in this year’s Safety Message Contest and showed their enthusiasm for safer driving behaviors,” ADOT Director Jennifer Toth said. “We want drivers to take these messages seriously and choose to wear their seatbelts and drive with care so we can all safely arrive at our destinations.”
Kelsey Turnquist of Glendale submitted the seatbelt message, which she designed to catch the attention of younger drivers.
“I’m beyond thrilled that my message will be a reminder to stay safe out there,” Turnquist said.
Michelle Dixon of Ahwatukee submitted the message urging drivers not to “drive ballistic.” As a mother raising future drivers, she felt a strong personal connection to the cause.
“It really does only take a second to make a life-altering change and become a statistic,” Dixon said. “And it just so happened that ‘ballistic’ doesn’t just apply, it happens to rhyme, too! If my sign makes even one person think twice before making a bad decision behind the wheel, then it’s a win for more than just me.”
Read more Solar farm fires are rare, but carry volatile chemical hazards, AZ fire officials warn
More than 1,700 initial entries were narrowed down to 10 finalists before the public vote.
ADOT invited Turnquist and Dixon to the Traffic Operations Center to personally program their messages into the Dynamic Message Sign system and watch them go live on highway cameras. Both safety messages will be displayed on overhead message boards throughout the weekend.
The contest is part of ADOT’s ongoing effort to encourage safer decisions behind the wheel.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Read more Former Alabama basketball player facing new charges while in jail awaiting capital murder trial