SAFETEA-LU Grant Programs 

Section 2004 of SAFETEA-LU reauthorized Section 405 which encourages States to adopt and implement effective programs to reduce deaths and injuries from riding unrestrained or improperly restrained in motor vehicles. A State may use these grant funds only to implement and enforce occupant protection programs.

• Legislation
• Regulation

Section 2005 of SAFETEA-LU establishes a new program of incentive grants (under Section 406 of chapter 4 of Title 23) to encourage the enactment and enforcement of primary safety belt use laws and encourage increased safety belt use. A State may use these grant funds for any behavioral highway safety purpose or for any project that corrects or improves a hazardous roadway location or feature or proactively addresses highway safety problems. However, at least $1 million of amounts received by each State must be obligated for behavioral highway safety activities.

• Legislation
• Guidance

Section 2006 of SAFETEA-LU establishes a new program of incentive grants (under Section 408 of chapter 4 of Title 23) to encourage States to adopt and implement effective programs to improve the timeliness, accuracy, completeness, uniformity, integration, and accessibility of State data that is needed to identify priorities for national, State, and local highway and traffic safety programs; to evaluate the effectiveness of efforts to make such improvements; to link these State data systems, including traffic records, with other data systems within the State; and to improve the compatibility of the State data system with national data systems and data systems of other States to enhance the ability to observe and analyze national trends in crash occurrences, rates, outcomes, and circumstances. A State may use these grant funds only to implement such data improvement programs.

• Legislation
• Guidance

Section 2007 of SAFETEA-LU amended the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures incentive grant program (under Section 410 of chapter 4 of Title 23) to encourage States to adopt and implement effective programs to reduce traffic safety problems resulting from individuals driving while under the influence of alcohol. A State may use these grant funds to implement the eight impaired driving programmatic grant criteria as well as costs for high visibility enforcement; the costs of training and equipment for law enforcement; the costs of advertising and educational campaigns that publicize checkpoints, saturation patrols or other law enforcement traffic maneuvers, increase law enforcement efforts and target impaired drivers under 34 years of age; the costs of a State impaired operator information system, and the costs of vehicle or license plate impoundment.

• Legislation
• Regulation
• Guidance

Section 1906 of SAFETEA-LU establishes a new grant program to encourage States to enact and enforce a law that prohibits the use of racial profiling in highway law enforcement, and to maintain and allow public inspection of statistical information for each motor vehicle stop on Federal-aid highways in the State regarding the race and ethnicity of the driver and any passengers. States may use the grants for collecting and maintaining data on traffic stops; evaluating the results of such data; and developing and implementing programs to reduce the occurrence of racial profiling, including training.

• Legislation
• Guidance

Section 2010 of SAFETEA-LU establishes a new program of incentive grants to encourage States to adopt and implement effective programs to reduce the number of single and multi-vehicle crashes involving motorcyclists. A State may use these grants funds only for motorcyclist safety training and motorcyclist awareness programs, including improvement of training curricula, delivery of training, recruitment or retention of motorcyclist safety instructors, and public awareness and outreach programs.

• Legislation
• Regulation

Section 2011 of SAFETEA-LU establishes a new incentive grant program to make grants available to States that are enforcing a law requiring any child riding in a passenger vehicle who is too large to be secured in a child safety seat to be secured in a child restraint that meets the requirements prescribed under section 3 of Anton’s Law (49 USC 30127 note; 116 Stat. 2772). These grant funds may be used only for child safety seat and child restraint programs.

• Legislation
• Guidance