The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued $562 million in grants to Offices of Highway Safety in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and U.S. territories on February 13 to help fund a variety of highway safety programs.
[Above photo by NHTSA]
“We know that most of the 36,560 roadway fatalities in 2018 related to behavioral issues such as speeding, alcohol and drug-impaired driving, distraction, motorcycle safety, and seat belt usage,” noted James Owens, NHTSA’s acting administrator, in a statement.
“These grants … will help our partners in state and local law enforcement and other transportation officials enforce their highway laws and educate the public so that our roads will be safer for everyone,” he added.
The top 10 states receiving NHTSA grants were: California ($50.1 million); Texas ($39.2 million); New York ($29 million); Florida ($26.1 million); Illinois ($21.1 million); Pennsylvania ($19.8 million); Ohio ($17.8 million); Michigan ($16.4 million); Georgia ($15.4 million); and New Jersey ($14.6 million).
The agency noted that $297 million of those funds will go toward supporting “high-visibility” enforcement campaigns related to seat belt use, plus impaired and distracted driving, as well as safe-driving public information and educational campaigns.
Another $147.5 million will help fund impaired driving countermeasures, to combat driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, with $41.5 million earmarked to help states build databases related to crashes, with $14.3 million set aside for pedestrian and bicyclist safety programs.
A complete breakdown of this round of NHTSA safety grant funding by program and state can be found by clicking here.
Nation
USDOT Issues More Than $1B in ‘Safe Streets’ Grants
September 6, 2024
Nation
