As part of ongoing efforts to prevent traffic crashes and save lives on Maryland roads, Governor Larry Hogan on Tuesday announced that $12 million in federal highway safety funds will be granted to approximately 90 agencies and organizations across the state with the goal of reducing crashes and related injuries and deaths.

“The safety of our citizens and visitors is a responsibility we take extremely seriously, and our administration will continue to make investments to make our roadways safer,” said Governor Hogan. “This funding continues our commitment to address traffic safety challenges and get unsafe, impaired, and distracted drivers off the road.”

In 2017, there were 557 deaths as a result of traffic crashes in Maryland. The funds distributed through the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office will help fund the following traffic-safety efforts:

• Increasing the use of seat belts in all seating positions;
• 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 capability and efficiency of Maryland’s traffic data systems.

Maryland’s five-year Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) guides the funding of traffic safety-related projects and will be used by state and local agencies and non-profit groups to address the strategies set forth in the plan for meeting the Toward Zero Deaths goal of cutting the number of deaths on Maryland roads in half by 2030.

The state is also working with various Maryland jurisdictions to develop local SHSPs that address community-specific traffic issues and complement the broader plan.

“The only acceptable goal is to reduce the number of traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities to zero,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn.

Secretary Rahn also recently announced MDOT’s Traffic Safety Pledge which encourages Maryland drivers to pledge to: always wear their seatbelt; have a safe and sober ride; park the phone before driving; use crosswalks and be seen while walking or biking; look for pedestrians and motorcyclists and give bicyclists three feet of clearance; wear proper protective gear while riding a motorcycle; and give themselves time. Speed is a factor in many crashes and greatly increases the severity.

The federal grant awards can only be used for traffic safety activities and are allocated based on crash data for each county and/or organization that applied for funding. Funds can only be spent during Federal Fiscal Year 2019 (October 1, 2018 – September 30, 2019). A breakdown of the amounts granted across the state: