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Road to Zero Monthly News

February 28, 2024

2024 Annual Meeting Will be May 13

Mark your calendars to join us in person or online for the 2024 Road to Zero annual meeting. This year’s convening will be held on Monday, May 13, in Washington, D.C. Don’t miss your chance to connect with your fellow Coalition members, get updates from our working groups and learn about our plans for the rest of 2024. The event is free and open to all, look for registration details soon.

Share Your Story in Washington, D.C.

Coinciding with our 2024 annual meeting, there’s still time to RSVP for our Capitol Hill Roadway Safety Advocacy Days. This is an excellent opportunity to share your story with federal policymakers to help them understand the importance of prioritizing road safety policies and accountability to save lives. RSVP here to attend, alongside Coalition members and partners from NSC, Families for Safe Streets and Stop Distractions.

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All 2024 NOFO Now Open

The fiscal year 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Safe Streets and Roads for All grants is open. These grants have multiple deadlines, depending on the grant type:

  • April 4, 2024, 5 p.m. (EDT): Deadline #1 for planning and demonstration grants
  • May 16, 2024, 5 p.m. (EDT): Sole deadline for implementation grants – Deadline #2 for planning and demonstration grants
  • Aug. 29, 2024, 5 p.m. (EDT): Deadline #3 for planning and demonstration grants – NOFO closes

Learn more about these grants and get your applications in now! 

NHTSA Announces $350M for States to Upgrade Data Collection Systems

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration invites states, territories and tribes to apply for millions in grants to upgrade and standardize state crash data systems to enable full electronic data transfer to NHTSA. The program will also enable intrastate data sharing and improve the accuracy, timeliness and accessibility of fatality data, including data about pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users. The agency will set aside up to $350 million for the grants, which are open to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Secretary of the Interior, acting on behalf of an Indian tribe. 

Learn more here

Grant Opportunity for State Highway Safety Officers

Applications are now open through Responsibility.org and GHSA for state highway safety offices to support innovative activities to bolster their abilities to deter and detect impaired drivers. All applications must explain how the proposed projects will result in measurable social impact and how that impact will be assessed over the short, medium and long term. Examples of impact goals and metrics are included in the application, due March 15, 2024. Send questions to Olivia Greer at [email protected] for additional details.

See the Latest from Our Road to Zero Partners

  • VERITY Now kicked off 2024 with many exciting updates, including this short documentary on biases in car crash test safety and this recent message of thanks to U.S. Senator Patty Murray of Washington state for her commitment to enhancing vehicle safety standards for women. Follow them on TikTok (at verity.now) and watch their first TikTok of 2024 here.
  • New findings from NHTSA show the use of proper child restraint systems in ride-hailing vehicles is substantially lower than in private vehicles, with about half of young children observed totally unrestrained in ride-hailing vehicles. See the full report, Traffic Tech overview and a presentation slide to help share these findings. 
  • There’s still time to register for tomorrow’s Families for Safe Streets webinar and get an overview of their new national crash victim/survivor story map. Register now to review the submission process and hear how those personally impacted by traffic violence can leverage this new resource to share their stories.
  • IIHS recently awarded their highest rating of BEST BET to 47 out of 54 booster seats introduced last year. See the full list of these crucial safety tools. 
  • Texas employers are eligible for the Our Driving Concern Texas Employer Traffic Safety Awards, which recognize employers achieving the highest standards of employee outreach and education around traffic safety and driver behavior. Applications close March 15, learn more about these awards and apply or nominate your employer today.
  • USDOT is launching the Complete Streets AI Initiative – a $15 million multi-phase effort to develop a powerful new decision-support tool for state, local and tribal transportation agencies that assists in the sighting, design and deployment of Complete Streets in our communities. The pre-solicitation is now live, check out this exciting new initiative.
  • Smart Growth America has released several new tools centered around Complete Streets, including a policy evaluation tool and the Complete Streets Story Map, in partnership with CityHealth. You can also check out their new report, Transportation Artists in Residence: A Landscape of an Emerging Field. 
  • April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and you can pre-register now for free NSC resources to help prevent distractions and save lives. Sign up now and you’ll be notified as soon as your materials are ready. 
  • On March 21, join the FIA Foundation and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in D.C. for a discussion on how we can achieve global road safety goals. This event will feature private sector leaders and early adopters of the FIA Safety Index showcasing how we can engage the private sector to save lives – register now.
  • Families for Safe Streets recently added Spanish-speaking support services to its already robust array of services to crash victims and survivors. Activities include monthly virtual support community gatherings in English and Spanish, a peer mentoring program, logistical assistance, and more.
  • ITE now offers a certificate-based blended learning course that provides an in-depth understanding of the Safe System Approach and its application. This online course consists of pre-recorded modules delivered by subject matter experts and four live instructor-led discussion sessions, learn more about this exciting new offering
  • Late last month, FHWA announced Robert Ritter is the new associate administrator for safety at FHWA, where his 25+ years of experience in transportation safety will serve the administration well – congratulations, Rob! In addition to this announcement, check out these new resources from FHWA

    – Proven Safety Countermeasures (PSCs) in Rural Communities, a new compendium of 12 PSCs suited for rural roads
    – A new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which proposes updates to the National Performance Management Measures regulations  
    An overview of pedestrian safety challenges and how ITS technologies can be part of the solution  
    This new, short overview video of the Safe System Approach, designed to be shared with state and local stakeholders
  • Looking for guidance around setting safer speeds in your community? The California Safe Speeds Toolkit from the Zero Traffic Fatality Task Force consolidates key research, case studies and more to help local jurisdictions pursue safe speed limit setting and save lives. 
  • The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (COT) is seeking applicants to join the COT Rural Advisory Council, which was established in 2022 to ensure that the needs of the rural patient and provider are integrated into COT programs and initiatives. Interested individuals must submit the online application by March 22, 2024 – email [email protected] to learn more. 
  • Using a comprehensive approach, the Being Black in Public Survey asks: What are the design approaches, unspoken social attitudes and invisible public space policies that diminish Black peoples’ experiences when navigating cities?” If you are a Black-identified individual, please take 30 minutes to share your experiences through this survey. 
  • Two new resources from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine present a roadmap for promoting traffic safety culture among state DOTs and other transportation safety agencies. See the Traffic Safety Culture Research Roadmap and this companion resource to learn more. 
  • A new publication from the National District Attorneys Association and Responsibility.org, Hospitals, HIPAA, and Impaired Driving Cases, provides a guide to assist law enforcement and prosecutors investigating impaired driving cases. Check out the guide for new insights.

Stay Up to Date with Mobility Safety News

  • Milwaukee officials have unveiled a series of traffic calming projects for 2024 in an effort to reduce reckless driving across the city. See the plans for these 45 projects, which include everything from raised crosswalks and curb extensions to full reconstruction efforts on certain streets.
  • The D.C. city council recently passed a traffic safety omnibus bill which includes a first-of-its-kind law mandating intelligent speed assistance for repeat offenders. Email [email protected] to learn more about this bill and its potential to spur similar action in other states and municipalities. 
  • As funding and staffing issues, as well as low ridership numbers, impact public transit systems across the country, some state lawmakers are proposing significant funding boosts. Learn more about the challenges facing these systems and how some states are planning to support them.
  • A new study of several mid-sized U.S. cities finds that bicycling activity is significantly associated with better safety for all road users. Dig more into these details for a look at the importance of cyclists on city streets.
  • Earlier this month, Paris voted to triple parking fees for SUVs in an attempt to make the city more bike-friendly. Learn more about the referendum and the impacts expected by the city.
  • A recent letter signed by 195 organizations calls on government leaders to adopt a moratorium on expanding highways and a pause on existing projects until climate, equity and maintenance goals are met. Read the full letter and get more insight into the priorities outlined in it.
  • California State Senator Scott Weiner recently introduced a bill that would require Intelligent Speed Assist to be installed on all new cars sold in the state by 2027. Check out this Q&A with Senator Weiner and hear his thoughts on the safety implications of this bill.  
  • It’s been 10 years since New York City launched the U.S.’s first Vision Zero program. Take a look at these five major lessons from the program and what other cities can learn from it.

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