ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan on Monday announced more than $12 million in federal highway safety grants as part of a statewide focus to prevent motor vehicle crashes and eliminate roadway fatalities. Baltimore County is set to receive over $320,000 in grant funds.

“With traffic already back to pre-pandemic levels, it is even more important that we continue working to make our streets and roadways safer and more accessible,” said Governor Hogan. “This critical funding will help us prevent crashes and fatalities all across the state, and ensure highway safety remains a top priority.”

The funds will be dispersed October 1 by the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office to more than 90 organizations and law enforcement agencies. In July, the Hogan administration announced nearly $1 million in state funds focused on pedestrian and bicyclist safety initiatives.

In 2020, 573 people were killed on Maryland roadways, including 138 pedestrians and 15 bicyclists, a significant increase compared to 2019 when the state had 535 fatalities, including 125 pedestrians and 10 bicyclists. The increase in fatalities occurred despite average vehicle traffic volumes in Maryland dropping as much as 50% at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the number of total crashes and serious injuries decreased in 2020, crashes were more severe, contributing to the rise in roadway fatalities. Initial police reports show increased speed, increased instances of impairment, and lower seat belt use as the most common contributing factors in motor vehicle fatalities.

The highway safety funds announced today will be used for initiatives to:

• Increase the use of seat belts in all seats;
• Prevent impaired, aggressive, and distracted driving;
• Increase safety for pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists;
• Promote the correct use of child passenger safety seats;
• Support police training for highway safety and traffic enforcement;
• Fund overtime enforcement of Maryland’s traffic laws; and
• Increase the efficiency and capability of Maryland’s traffic data systems.

“MDOT is committed to eliminating fatalities on Maryland’s transportation network, and that starts with working as a team with law enforcement agencies, traffic-safety partners, and the public in a multi-faceted approach,” said Secretary Gregory Slater of MDOT. “The safety of Marylanders and visitors is MDOT’s top priority, and the distribution of these grant funds will help us move toward the goal of zero highway deaths.”

In 2019, Vision Zero was enacted following passage of legislation setting an overall goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries on Maryland’s roadways by 2030. This goal will guide partners as they implement safety programs with the distributed grant funding. Vision Zero also serves as a blueprint in development and implementation of Maryland’s 2021-2025 Strategic Highway Safety Plan, a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on roadways across the state utilizing the “Four Es” of traffic safety—education, engineering, enforcement, and emergency medical services.

The funds awarded can only be used for traffic safety initiatives and are allocated based on crash data for each county or organization. Below is a breakdown of the highway safety grant amounts: