The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office has announced more than $12.9 million in federal highway safety grants to organizations across the state.
The funds, which will be distributed to 96 agencies, organizations and programs, are part of a statewide effort to prevent motor vehicle crashes and eliminate roadway fatalities, according to a community announcement.
The Maryland State Police received almost $1.4 million in highway safety grants, some of which were designated for specific sections such as the Drug Recognition Expert program.
The grants, which apply to federal fiscal year 2026, which runs from Oct. 1, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2026, must be used solely for traffic safety initiatives.
Grants based on crash data
The funds awarded this year are based on crash data for each county or organization and may be used for traffic safety initiatives. The federal grants are in addition to the nearly $1.4 million in state-funded grants awarded in July.
The grants will support initiatives that prevent impaired, aggressive and distracted driving, increase the use of seat belts in all seats, increase safety for pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists, promote the correct use of child passenger safety seats, support police training for highway safety and traffic enforcement, fund overtime enforcement of Maryland’s traffic laws and increase the efficiency and capability of Maryland’s traffic data systems.
In 2024, Maryland recorded 582 people killed on state roadways, including 163 pedestrians and 10 bicyclists, a decrease from 2023 when the state experienced 621 fatalities.
Vision Zero goal
In 2019, the state adopted Vision Zero, a traffic safety strategy that sets a goal of zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030. The goal will guide grant recipients as they implement safety programs.
Vision Zero serves as a comprehensive, multi-faceted blueprint to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on roadways across the state by focusing on the four E’s: education, engineering, enforcement and emergency medical services.
Grant recipients
The following agencies and organizations have been awarded grants for safety projects and the development of local strategic highway safety plans:
Dept. of Natural Resources Natural Resource Police: $52,000
Princess Anne Police Department: $7,913.42
Somerset County Sheriff’s Office: $5,288
Longmeadow Volunteer Fire Company Inc: $4,193
Washington County Sheriff’s Office: $22,687
Fruitland Police Department: $9,000
Salisbury Police Department: $5,000
Salisbury University Police Department: $1,999.65
Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office: $8,940
Wor-Wic Community College: $11,750
Berlin Police Department: $8,000
Ocean City Police Department: $72,999.45
Ocean Pines Police Department: $3,015
Worcester County Health Department: $21,115.61
Worcester County Sheriff’s Office: $6,000
View the entire list of Highway Safety Grant awardees at zerodeathsmd.gov/grants/awardees.
For more information, visit zerodeathsmd.gov.
This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: $12.9M in federal funds to improve Maryland road safety