402 Safe Community Guidance



    DOT Logo Memorandum
    U.S. Department of
    Transportation

    National Highway
    Traffic Safety
    Administration    		  

    Subject: 
    		 Guidance On Section 402 Safe Communities Funds Date: January 22, 1996
     
    From:    		  
    Adele Derby 
    Associate Administrator
    Office of State and Community Services    		 Adele Derby signature
    		    
    Reply to
    Attn. of:
     
    To:    		  
    Regional Administrators
    Regions I-X    		      


    In the Conference Report Accompanying the FY 1996 DOT Appropriations bill, Congress directed that $4.7 million of the $127.7 million Section 402 program be "available to local communities to implement safe communities initiatives...". Safe Communities is a strategy for addressing motor vehicle injuries at the local level within the context of a community's entire injury problem. States working with their local partners will determine the most effective approaches to implementing Safe Communities and creatively using their set-aside funds.

    This does not mean that these traffic safety funds can be used to address other types of injuries; traffic safety funds can only be used for traffic-related problems. However, the community can have a task force or committee dedicated to addressing all injuries; traffic safety can be a part of that committee and can leverage its expertise and funding with other injury areas.

    Furthermore these funds must not supplant assistance to local governmental entities provided under the base session 402 program.

    We anticipate that States using HSPs will submit an amendment to their plan identifying Safe Communities activities. States using the Benchmark process will most likely want to revise their goals and objectives to incorporate Safe Communities strategies. States must track expenditure of their Safe Communities set-aside funds using the accounting code SA. They and their local partners should be prepared to collect information on their Safe Communities activities and accomplishments, so that we may report back to Congress.

    To assist States and communities in understanding what Safe Communities are and what is needed to implement them, we have prepared the following guidance documents:

    Copies of these documents are attached for your use. Additional Safe Communities materials, including a slimjim "marketing" brochure, created by our Regional Team, and a Practitioner's Guide will be available soon. Please let me know if you, your States, or other participants in Safe Communities require additional information or materials.

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