Thousands Of Dollars In Funding Will Go To Local Law Enforcement Agencies

The Hogan Administration has announced the statewide distribution of nearly $12 million in federal highway safety funds. The funds will be dispersed by the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MDOT MVA) Highway Safety Office to nearly 100 law enforcement agencies and traffic safety-related organizations.

“This funding is part of our commitment to ensure safety remains the hallmark of our transportation network,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “The recipients of these grants are partners in the mission to eliminate traffic deaths in Maryland and keep dangerous drivers off the road.”

In 2018, 513 people were killed, and thousands were injured, in vehicle crashes in Maryland. The highway safety funds will be used specifically to address the following:

• Increasing the use of seat belts in all seats;
• Preventing impaired, aggressive, and distracted driving;
• Increasing the safety of pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists;
• Promoting the correct use of child passenger safety seats;
• Funding overtime enforcement of Maryland’s traffic laws;
• Supporting police training for highway safety and traffic enforcement; and
• Increasing the efficiency and capability of Maryland’s traffic data systems.

“Each year, the primary causes of crashes remain the same – failing to wear a seat belt, impaired driving, speeding and distraction,” said MDOT MVA Administrator Chrissy Nizer, who also serves as Governor Larry Hogan’s Highway Safety Representative. “These grants will be used to address the issues that we know are leading to unnecessary lives being lost on our highways.”

Maryland’s five-year Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) guides funding for traffic safety-related projects and is used as a guide by state and local agencies and nonprofits to implement strategies toward the goal of zero deaths on Maryland roads by 2030. The state also works with some jurisdictions to develop local strategic highway safety plans to address community-specific traffic issues and complement the broader plan.

“Maryland is working to achieve zero serious injuries and fatalities on our roads, and partnering with agencies and organizations across the state will bring us closer to that goal,” said MDOT Secretary Pete K. Rahn.

The funds can only be used for traffic safety initiatives and are allocated based on crash data for each county and/or organization applications. The funding is for federal Fiscal Year 2020, which runs from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020.

The following is a breakdown of the highway safety grant amounts locally: