BALTIMORE, MD—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced a significant allocation of $171 million in grants to 19 states and territories. The funding aims to upgrade and standardize crash data collection systems, enhancing the accuracy, timeliness, and accessibility of vital fatality information, including data about pedestrians and cyclists.

This initiative, driven by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will facilitate improved data sharing between states and the NHTSA, ultimately leading to a more comprehensive understanding of road safety trends. The upgraded systems will provide crucial insights into fatalities involving pedestrians and cyclists, contributing to the NHTSA’s mission of saving lives.

“These grants will provide much-needed funds for states and territories to upgrade their systems and make sharing data with NHTSA quicker and easier,” said Sophie Shulman, Deputy Administrator of the NHTSA. “These upgrades to crash data systems will provide the agency and the public more timely data, help us identify emerging trends, and advance our shared mission to save lives.”

These grants will go to American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, D.C., Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia.

These grants represent a significant step towards fulfilling a directive outlined in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which mandates the establishment of the State Electronic Data Collection program. The law grants participating states and territories five years to implement comprehensive electronic data transfers to the NHTSA.

The initiative also aligns with the Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, prioritizing the reduction of serious injuries and fatalities on U.S. roads. The NRSS embraces the safe system approach, anticipating human error and building a holistic system to prevent fatal mistakes. By improving data collection and analysis, the NHTSA aims to develop more effective strategies, countermeasures, research, regulations, and consumer education campaigns, ultimately creating a safer road environment for all.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.