The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the state of New York more than $11 million in Highway Safety Grants on Monday.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee were given the grants to implement effective programs to reduce traffic safety problems among motorists and pedestrians, as well as those caused by drunk and drugged driving.
More than $5.3 million of the grants will go toward supporting projects that address major highway issues across the state.
The Impaired Driving Countermeasure Grant totals $3,547,784 to combat problems due to impaired motorists. The State and Community Highway Safety Grant totals $5,324,479 and will support countermeasures to support the state’s Highway Safety Plan.
The Occupant Protection Grant, the largest of all five grants awarded, will be used to adopt and implement effective programs to reduce highway deaths and injuries resulting from being unrestrained or improperly restrained in vehicles.
The state was also awarded $988,759 for the State Traffic Safety Information System Improvement Grant, which will support updated data systems across the state and to link intrastate data.
“We’ve made tremendous progress combatting drunk and drugged driving on Long Island and across New York, but we have to keep that fight going on all fronts with smart prevention and enforcement strategies and ongoing collaboration between government agencies, lawmakers and law enforcement officials,” U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) said. “These funds will support those efforts, and ensure that New York keeps striving to have the safest roads and highways of any state in the country.”
