Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that more than $37.2 million in federal highway safety grants have been awarded to 502 programs throughout New York State during the federal FY 2021.
The grants provide funding to local, state and not-for-profit agencies for projects that improve overall highway safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries due to crashes. The projects awarded funding focused on three types of driver safety initiatives: highway safety, child passenger safety and police traffic services.
The funding, which is provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is administered by the governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.
This year, $37.2 million was awarded to 502 projects that focused on three types of driver safety initiatives:
$32.1 million for highway safety grants
Provided to state, local and not-for-profit programs that cover a variety of traffic safety efforts including education initiatives, traffic records improvements, training, crash reconstruction, and railroad crossing safety. In addition, the programs cover distracted driving, slow moving vehicles, and drowsy and impaired driving. These initiatives focus on protecting child passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists, wheel-sport athletes, motorcyclists, teens and older drivers.
$2.6 million for child passenger safety
Supports child passenger safety education, training for child passenger safety technicians, conducting car seat checks statewide, operating a car seat distribution program for low-income families, and establishing permanent child safety seat fitting stations.
$2.5 million for police traffic services
Initiatives by law enforcement agencies to target dangerous driver behaviors. This includes participation in the national Click It or Ticket seat belt mobilization and other enforcement initiatives aimed at preventing unsafe speed, aggressive and distracted behaviors, and occupant restraint enforcement.
A regional breakdown of the grant funding can be found here.
