Announcing 2021 Highway Safety Poster Contest Winners
Each year, Caltrans holds its annual Highway Safety poster contest. The contest is open to children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of Caltrans employees, and it gives the children an opportunity to express their messages about the importance of driving safely in or near highway work zones. It also allows them to be part of Caltrans’ educational outreach and life-saving message.
The contest was open to children 17 years old or younger, and judges selected posters based on creativity, how well the poster conveyed the highway safety theme, and the use of color.
Although the posters differ greatly in appearance, they all convey one of these important messages, "Be Work Zone Alert" or "Move Over."
Winner 14 – 17 year olds
Frederick Grimm IV IV is a 14-year-old freshman at Granite Mountain Charter School who enjoys the great outdoors. He rides quads and spends time with his brothers and dogs. When he’s not drawing military aircraft and building models, he’s flying a Piper Cherokee 180 at the French Valley Airport. He enjoys playing the violin, drawing military comics and is an author. Fredrick wants his dad, District 8 Senior Transportation Surveyor Fred Grimm III, and all highway workers, to be safe.
Winner 11 – 13 year olds
Jennifer Ngoc Pham is the 12-year-old daughter of Vincent Pham, District 7 Transportation Engineer. She is a 6th grader at San Jose Charter Academy and enjoys reading, drawing, and playing hockey. She believes it is important to ensure the safety of others, especially when driving on the road. Jennifer says, “We need to protect the lives of people and help spread awareness to reduce car crashes and injuries on the road, which ultimately will save lives.”
Winner 7 – 10 year olds
Saafir Faizan Bhuiyan is quite the ambitious 10-year-old. He has his own YouTube channel and completed an online coding class, earning a certificate as a Game Developer. When he’s not YouTubing, he enjoys reading adventure books, taking karate classes, drawing, playing with his younger brother and eating pizza with his family, including his mom, Nasima F. Bhuiyan, a Transportation Engineer (Civil) in Headquarters. Saafir wanted to deliver a caution message by showing the results of reckless driving behavior vs driving safely through a work zone.
Winner 6 years old and younger
Lucas Guinez is a 6-year-old kindergartner with a special skill. His dad, Marvin Guinez, Headquarters Senior Transportation Engineer (Specialist) says Lucas can recite the value of (PI = 3.14) to more than 100 decimal places. Lucas enjoys completing word search puzzles, riding his bike and scooter, and playing with his younger sister, Emma. He also likes building forts in his living room, reading books, writing short stories, and playing basketball. Lucas says, “People need to slow down so that they don’t hit the construction workers.”
