More than 90 agencies and organizations have been awarded over $11 million in grants to help eliminate fatalities on Maryland roadways.
These funds will be distributed by the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MDOT MVA) Highway Safety Office to traffic safety-related organizations and law enforcement agencies.The funds will be used for initiatives including increasing the use of seat belts in all seats; promoting the correct use of child passenger safety seats; increased safety for pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists; preventing impaired, aggressive, and distracted driving; funding overtime enforcement of Maryland’s traffic laws; increasing the efficiency and capability of Maryland’s traffic data systems; and supporting police training for highway safety and traffic enforcement.
From the press release:
“It is unacceptable that we average more than 100,000 crashes statewide each year. One injury or death on our roads is too many,” said MDOT Secretary Gregory Slater. “MDOT is committed to continuing our work with law enforcement agencies and traffic-safety partners to build a collaborative approach to reach our goal of eliminating motor vehicle crashes and fatalities.”
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 funds. Vision Zero also serves as a blueprint in development of Maryland’s 2021-2025 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on roadways across the state focused on the Four E’s – education, engineering, enforcement and emergency medical services.
“We all need to remember every time we get behind the wheel that each of us has a responsibility to keep all road users safe. Year after year, we see the same, preventable causes of crashes,” said MDOT MVA Administrator Chrissy Nizer, who also serves as Governor Hogan’s Highway Safety Representative. “We are looking forward to working with our safety partners across the state to spread the messages to drive sober, buckle up, slow down, put the phone down, and watch for motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists.”
Funds will only be able to be used for traffic safety initiatives and are allocated based on crash data for each county and/or organization applications.
Breakdown of the highway safety grant amounts:
| Agency | Total Grant Amount |
| Aberdeen Police Department | $6,792.00 |
| Allegany County Sheriff’s Office | $6,000.00 |
| Annapolis Police Department | $10,000.00 |
| Anne Arundel County Police Department | $98,000.00 |
| Baltimore City Police Department | $39,860.00 |
| Baltimore County Department of Health | $10,500.00 |
| Baltimore County Police Department | $293,000.00 |
| Baltimore County Police Department – Crash Reconstruction | $27,923.00 |
| Baltimore Metropolitan Council | $527,058.83 |
| Bel Air Police Department | $9,000.00 |
| Berlin Police Department | $5,500.00 |
| Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse | $5,180.00 |
| Calvert County Sheriff’s Office | $31,300.00 |
| Caroline County Sheriff’s Office | $15,416.00 |
| Carroll County Health Department | $2,139.50 |
| Carroll County Sheriff’s Department | $32,500.00 |
| Cecil County Sheriff’s Office | $23,500.00 |
| Charles County Sheriff’s Office | $70,000.00 |
| Chesapeake Region Safety Council | $330,379.50 |
| Children’s Village of Washington County Inc. | $8,869.50 |
| City of Bowie Police Department | $8,000.00 |
| City of Hyattsville Police Department | $10,000.00 |
| Crash Center for Research and Education | $225,351.20 |
| Cumberland Police Department | $3,000.00 |
| Dent Police Department | $4,990.00 |
| DRIVE SMART (for 2021 Maryland Summit) | $34,330.43 |
| Driving it Home of Prince George’s County | $13,620.00 |
| Easton Police Department | $22,500.00 |
| Elkton Police Department | $8,000.00 |
| Emergency Responder Safety Institute | $7,972.25 |
| Frederick County Health Department | $77,339.07 |
| Frederick Police Department | $40,000.00 |
| Frostburg Police Department | $2,000.00 |
| Fruitland Police Department | $5,494.50 |
| Gaithersburg Police Department | $26,000.00 |
| Greenbelt Police Department | $19,990.00 |
| Hagerstown Police Department | $13,560.00 |
| Hampstead Police Department | $5,000.00 |
| Harford County Sheriff’s Office | $87,900.00 |
| Havre de Grace Police Department | $6,930.00 |
| Howard County Police Department | $65,000.00 |
| La Plata Police Department | $8,000.00 |
| Laurel Police Department | $17,990.00 |
| Maryland Chiefs of Police Association | $224,560.00 |
| Maryland Department of Health | $260,375.04 |
| Maryland Institute College of Art | $128,365.76 |
| Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems | $118,203.95 |
| Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration | $120,585.00 |
| Maryland Municipal League Police Executive Association | $5,500.00 |
| Maryland National Capital Park & Planning | $1,000.00 |
| Maryland Natural Resources Police Department | $2,600.00 |
| Maryland Sheriff’s Association Inc. | $25,410.00 |
| Maryland State Police – Mobile Breath Testing Vehicle | $36,800.00 |
| Maryland State Police – SPIDRE DUI Team | $345,721.23 |
| Maryland State Police – Statewide Enforcement | $600,200.00 |
| Maryland State Police – Drug Recognition Expert | $303,039.34 |
| Maryland State’s Attorney’s Association | $209,712.40 |
| Maryland Transportation Authority | $88,000.00 |
| Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments | $250,000.00 |
| Montgomery County Police Department | $208,000.00 |
| Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office | $8,997.50 |
| Morgan State University | $44,100.00 |
| Mothers Against Drunk Driving | $58,652.44 |
| Mount Airy Police Department | $4,000.00 |
| Ocean City Police Department | $32,208.00 |
| Ocean Pines Police Department | $2,600.00 |
| Prince George’s County Police Department | $200,000.02 |
| Princess Anne Police Department | $10,793.73 |
| Queen Anne’s Sheriff’s Office | $4,680.00 |
| Riverdale Park Police Department | $15,500.00 |
| Rockville Police Department | $13,000.00 |
| Salisbury Police Department | $13,000.00 |
| Salisbury University Police Department | $2,000.00 |
| Seneca Valley High School | $2,067.60 |
| Statewide Traffic Safety Initiatives | $4,851,408.29 |
| St. Mary’s County Health Department | $8,800.00 |
| St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office | $23,000.00 |
| Sykesville Police Department | $5,000.00 |
| Talbot County Sheriff’s Office | $6,500.00 |
| Taneytown Police Department | $4,000.00 |
| University of Maryland Baltimore National Study Center | $493,288.52 |
| University of Maryland College Park Police Department | $16,000.00 |
| University of Maryland Medical System | $34,763.38 |
| Washington College | $491,222.62 |
| Washington County Sheriff’s Office | $7,610.00 |
| Washington Regional Alcohol Program | $281,881.19 |
| Westminster Police Department | $4,000.00 |
| Wicomico Sheriff’s Office | $13,000.00 |
| Worcester County Health Department | $3,542.00 |
| Worcester County Sheriff’s Office | $4,527.17 |
| Wor-Wic Community College | $6,600.00 |
| Total: | $11,860,700.96 |
