ADOT reveals winners in 2026 Safety Message Contest

PHOENIX – Arizonans have cast their votes in the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Safety Message Contest and picked two winning messages!

The public cast over 3,900 votes on 10 finalists and 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 seat belts and drive with care so we can all safely arrive at our destinations.” 

Kelsey Turnquist, who lives in Glendale, submitted the message about main characters wearing seatbelts. She said that participating in the contest was a fun challenge and her main focus was to reach younger drivers. 

“I’m beyond thrilled that my message will be a reminder to stay safe out there,” Turnquist said. 

Michelle Dixon, who lives in Ahwatukee, submitted the winning message urging drivers to not “drive ballistic.” She said that being a responsible driver is incredibly important to her, especially as she’s raising children who will be behind the wheel one day. 

“It really does only take a second to make a life-altering change and become a statistic. 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,” Dixon said.  

During the first phase of the contest, more than 1,700 entries were submitted. Those messages were narrowed down to 10 finalists that the public voted on to determine the winners. 

The winners were invited to ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center to input their messages in the Dynamic Message Sign system and watch their messages go live via highway cameras. Both safety messages will be displayed on overhead message boards through the weekend. 

ADOT displays these traffic safety messages as part of an ongoing effort to engage Arizonans about making safer decisions behind the wheel. Crashes don’t just happen. They’re the result of choices. According to national crash data, about 90% of vehicle crashes are caused by driver decisions — meaning drivers choosing to speed, drive distracted or impaired.

When drivers make the decision to obey the speed limit, put down the phone and drive alert, and designate a driver, it makes traveling on the roads safer for everyone.