GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES AWARD OF HIGHWAY SAFETY GRANTS

Governor David A. Paterson today announced the award of more than $30 million in federal grants to highway safety programs throughout the State. The Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) will distribute the federal grants to 769 initiatives that promote highway and traffic safety. The recipients include State agencies, local groups and not-for-profit organizations.

"These vital resources will allow programs which protect our drivers, riders and pedestrians throughout the State to move forward and further improve our highway safety," Governor Paterson said. "Last year, thanks to the dedication of law enforcement and traffic safety partners, we witnessed the lowest fatality rate in our history. This federal funding will help us continue the trend."

Governor Paterson's continued commitment to highway safety was recently emphasized with the creation of EmpireStat, which was announced in the 2010-2011 Executive Budget. EmpireStat will be a critical tool for the Governor and the public to assess the State's progress in public and road safety. As part of that initiative, GTSC and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will report information on topics such as alcohol and speed-related injuries and fatalities as well as injuries and fatalities for all those who use our highways including pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists. The DMV will also compile statistics about DWI arrests and other traffic related violations.

Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles and Chair of the GTSC David J. Swarts said: "The federal grant funding announced today is part of the Governor's commitment to public safety and improving the quality of life across New York State. Whether it is making sure our children are safe by signing Leandra's Law, instituting EmpireStat, or adopting new booster seat and graduated licensing laws, he is committed to making our roadways the safest they can be."

For the 2009-2010 federal fiscal year, the GTSC awarded $30.6 million to 769 highway safety projects which addressed a variety of public safety initiatives. The programs that receive funding directly relate to education; enforcement efforts to combat drinking and driving; passenger restraint enforcement; aggressive driving; excessive speed; bicycle and pedestrian safety.

The programs that have received funds are integrated into the State's overall traffic safety strategy and are part of the GTSC Highway Safety Plan which has been approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The initiatives and programs are aimed at the "Four Es" of highway safety: education, enforcement, engineering and evaluation. To be successful, grant applications must incorporate one or more of the "Four Es" and be consistent with the overall State Highway Safety Plan. The grants announced today relate to the following four categories:

• Buckle-Up New York (BUNY): Programs designed to provide grantees with necessary resources to conduct primary seat belt enforcement and education (225 grantees);

• Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP): Funding initiatives to law enforcement to target individual traffic safety issues such as speed, aggressive driving and red light running in high crash corridors (236 grantees);

• Child Passenger Safety: Provides for child passenger safety education, car seat checks, the distribution of seats and child seat fitting stations (173 grantees); and

• Agency Programs: Resources allocated to state, local and not-for-profit programs that cover additional traffic safety undertakings through education, enforcement, engineering, training or technology (135 grantees).

Since 1967, GTSC has awarded grants received through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to projects that improve highway safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries due to crashes. GTSC coordinates traffic safety activities across the State and is comprised of 12 member State agencies with missions related to transportation and safety. The head of each agency acts as that agency's official representative to the Committee and the DMV Commissioner serves as the Chair.

For a complete listing of the 2009-2010 grant projects, please visit the GTSC website at: www.safeNY.com or contact the DMV Office of Communications at: (518) 473-7000.