FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Contact: Arriale Tabson
Office: 615-253-5152
$17.1 Million in Federal Highway Safety Funds Awarded
384 Agencies Receive Support for Tennessee Highway Safety Efforts and Education
TENNESSEE – The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security announce the 384 agencies awarded $17.1 million in federal grant funding to support Tennessee highway safety efforts and education. 424 grants will be distributed from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through THSO for the 2016-2017 Federal Fiscal Year.
"Our daily goal is simple - every driver goes home safe and sound every day,” said Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner David W. Purkey. “The Tennessee Highway Safety Office collaborates with sheriffs, police chiefs, state troopers, and traffic safety partners to provide the safe environment necessary for this goal to happen.”
Every year, traffic safety advocates, non-profit organizations, emergency response personnel, law enforcement, District Attorneys’ offices, and other state agencies across Tennessee seek funding through grant applications offered by THSO. Applicants who meet the required data-driven criteria and highway safety standards are awarded grant funds to support THSO’s mission to reduce traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities. Grant funding provides essential highway safety training and equipment for law enforcement agencies, sophisticated crash data collection analysis technology, specialized DUI prosecutors, resources for emergency response personnel, and educational tools to help improve driver behavior.
“Now more than ever, our traffic safety partners need the support and resources to combat new and emerging roadway hazards,” said Jason Ivey, Interim Director for THSO. “The landscape of roadway use and abuse is rapidly changing. Across the board, our state is experiencing a thriving economy that promotes increases in travel, population growth, road construction, and more. This funding is crucial to protecting and educating our citizens.”
Access the complete list of grant award recipients here.
About the Tennessee Highway Safety Office:
The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is Tennessee's advocate for traffic safety. THSO works in tandem with the National Highway Safety Administration to implement statewide programs addressing occupant protection, impaired driving, speed enforcement, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and crash data collection and analysis. Programs administered by THSO are 100 percent federally funded. THSO’s mission is to effectively develop, implement and evaluate these programs. To learn more about the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.
For more information, contact Arriale Tabson at 615-253-5152 or arriale.tabson@tn.gov.