Highway safety efforts get federal funding

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this month announced $1.8 million in funding – with eligibility for up to $6.4 million in the future – to provide critical support for five non-governmental partner organizations to enhance safety on the nation’s highways.

The agreements will fund projects to combat impaired driving, support the 911 network, enhance safety messaging for young drivers, and give technical assistance to state officials on a wide range of traffic safety issues.

“This funding will help NHTSA and our partners improve highway safety for all, and will provide critical leadership for reducing the incidence of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol,” James Owens, acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a news release. “Together with our partners, we can create change and make traveling safer for everybody.”

The five cooperative agreements are with the following organizations:

■ National District Attorneys Association: A five-year agreement ($590,536 in fiscal year 2019, $3 million total) with the association to support its National Traffic Law Center. The association will develop or update prosecutor training and technical assistance in traffic safety areas such as toxicology, Drug Recognition Experts, Standard Field Sobriety Testing, crash investigation, and alcohol breath testing devices.

■ Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America: A three-year agreement for $300,000 to reduce alcohol- and drug-impaired driving through development of a best-practices report providing strategies for communications and outreach at the local level.

■ National Association of State 911 Administrators: A five-year agreement ($500,000 in fiscal year 2019, $1.7 million total) with the group. This project will enable the group to provide technical support and best practices to improve the effectiveness of the 911 network.

■ National Organizations for Youth Safety: A two-year agreement for $150,000 to develop and disseminate social media messaging targeting 16- to 24-year-olds during the times of the year most dangerous for young drivers: the winter holiday season, prom/graduation, and summer.

■ National Conference of State Legislatures: A five-year agreement ($241,289 for fiscal year 2019,19, $1,247,172 total) to provide information and technical assistance related to reducing traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities.