Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that more than $48.7 million in federal highway safety grants have been awarded to 580 programs across New York State. The purpose of this grant program is to provide funds to local, state and not-for-profit agencies for projects that improve highway safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries due to crashes.

"Safety on our roadways is a top priority in New York State, and we will continue working alongside our partners in traffic safety to crack down on erratic and irresponsible driving," Governor Hochul said. "The more than $48 million invested in these vital programs will help improve safety for all those sharing the road, and my administration will continue to prioritize programs aimed at preventing senseless tragedies and keeping New Yorkers safe."

The types of efforts funded include occupant protection; traffic enforcement; motorcycle safety; traffic records; community programs; programs that impact younger drivers or older drivers; pedestrian safety; roadway safety and efforts to prevent impaired driving.

This year, $48.7 million was awarded to 580 projects that focused on three types of safety initiatives:

$44.8 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 prevention, awareness of slow-moving vehicles, and programs to prevent 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 Police Traffic Services

Supports initiatives by law enforcement agencies to conduct traffic enforcement campaigns based on crash data. This includes participation in the national Click It or Ticket seat belt mobilization and other enforcement initiatives to target unsafe speed, aggressive and distracted driving, and to enforce seat belt and child safety restraint laws.

$1.3 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.

A regional breakdown of the grant funding is below:

Region	Approved
Capital Region	$947,934.00
Central NY	$589,199.00
Finger Lakes	$787,372.00
Long Island	$1,074,918.00
Mid-Hudson	$1,684,310.00
Mohawk Valley	$274,993.00
North Country	$237,386.00
NYC	$1,857,996.00
Southern Tier	$305,755.00
Western NY	$518,943.00
Statewide	$40,476,616.00
Grand Total	$48,755,422.00

These grants fund successful programs such as the Click It or Ticket enforcement campaigns. According to the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany's Rockefeller College, New York's seat belt compliance rate has consistently remained at or above 90 percent since 2010. In a 2022 survey, drivers and passengers were observed wearing seatbelts 91 percent of the time. The latest national average for seatbelt compliance is 90.4 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The funding, which is provided by the NHTSA, is administered by the GTSC. Learn more about the GTSC grant program here.

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner and Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) Chair Mark J.F. Schroeder said, "Funding these vital initiatives helps to promote public outreach and education on important topics such as proper child safety restraints and dangerous driving behaviors. Safety is our top priority, and we look forward to continuing this important work with our grantees."

Representative Sean Patrick Maloney said, "This is great news for New York - nearly $50 million is being invested to make our state's highways safer, including $1.6 million right here in the Hudson Valley," said Rep. Maloney. "Investment like this are why I was proud to help write and pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, New York will be able to better enforce our traffic laws, improve child passenger safety, and provide funding for numerous public safety initiatives."

About the GTSC

The Governor's Traffic Safety Committee is comprised of 12-member agencies. The Committee supports and promotes the state's highway safety program to provide for the safe transportation of people and goods on New York's roadways. It also coordinates various traffic safety activities throughout the year, across the state, and serves as the state's official liaison with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information about GTSC, visit https://trafficsafety.ny.gov/, or follow the GTSC conversation on Facebook and Twitter.