Community Traffic Safety Grants

The Road to Zero Coalition’s Community Traffic Safety Grants, funded by NHTSA, aim to fund projects, programs and research that help achieve the mission of zero traffic deaths. The 2023 awarded projects will help address the recent troubling rise in roadway fatalities through implementing the three pillars of the Road to Zero strategy: doubling down on what works, advancing life-saving technology in vehicles and infrastructure, and adopting a Safe Systems approach.

This work is crucially important, as NSC estimates indicate that 2022 marked the second year in a row where we lost more than 46,000 people on our roads. Each life lost is someone’s friend, loved one or neighbor, and each loss is preventable.

Frequently Asked Questions

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What’s it like to be a Road to Zero grantee?

We think it’s pretty awesome but you can learn more, including hearing directly from previous grantees, on this 2021 webinar.

Grantees are expected to file monthly progress reports and attend quarterly cohort meetings. Grantees have opportunities to share their efforts in newsletters, across social media and on webinars.

What are some examples of successful Road to Zero grant applications?

For profiles of each of the grantees awarded in previous years, as well as a selection of final reports, see below.

Where can I learn more about the Road to Zero three-pillar approach?

The Road to Zero Coalition’s three-pillar approach comes from its strategic report. It identifies three key areas to act upon to reach our goal of zero traffic deaths by 2050: doubling down on proven countermeasures and interventions, accelerating the adoption and development of life-saving technology, and prioritizing a Safe System approach and culture of safety.

Where can I learn more about the Safe System approach?

There is a guide to the Safe System approach on the Road to Zero webpage. It includes great information from the Federal Highway Administration, as well as Road to Zero Coalition leaders such as ITE and CSCRS. This resource from the Department of Transportation also provides a thorough overview.

Who is eligible to receive a grant?

● Applicants must be a Road to Zero Coalition Member; you can join here, membership is free

● Applicant must be a nonprofit organization or other entity (i.e. a corporate entity); individuals cannot apply

● Government entities (cities, states, counties governors’ safety offices, etc.) also qualify

● Proposed programs must operate within the United States

● Federally-recognized Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations and Urban Indian Organizations are also eligible

Can I speak to someone to see if this grant program would be a good fit for my proposed project?

If you have questions about the application process or other general questions, please contact Road to Zero at [email protected]. However, we cannot advise on whether specific projects would make for a successful grantee.

When will grantees be notified?

Applications were reviewed by Road to Zero staff and an external review committee in early 2023. Grantees will be notified in the first quarter of 2023.

Congratulations 2023 Grant Recipients

Grantee: Regents of the University of Michigan
Project: Exploring Vehicle Technologies to Address Safety Equity Issues in a Diverse Population
Project goal: The goal of this proposed study is to create a virtual database by using diverse human body models to evaluate the effectiveness of different vehicle safety technologies on addressing safety equity issues in future MVCs, including those in ride-sharing and vehicles equipped with ADS.

Grantee: Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Project: Growing Support for the Safe System Approach
Project goal: The goal of this project is to develop and implement a survey to assess support for the SSA (and its principles and elements) among the general public. Support for the SSA among the public can be used to promote the approach with key stakeholders. The deliverables for this project include a survey, survey key findings from a national sample, and guidance for other jurisdictions to replicate the survey. The expected outcome from this project is to better understand the level of current support for the SSA among the general public. Potentially, these results could be used by safety champions to challenge misperceptions among key stakeholders and leaders. Such misperceptions (e.g., “the public will never go for that…”) can act as barriers and embolden those resistant to change. However, data from the public can directly challenge such misperceptions.

Grantee: National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS)
Project: Youth Transportation Equity Fellowship
Project goal: National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) is launching a Youth Transportation Equity Fellowship, designed for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) youth (18-25) to engage in an 10-month immerse educational and community engagement experience addressing hyperlocal transportation inequities related to pedestrian deaths. The fellowship addresses how transportation inequities have further exacerbated pedestrian deaths in BIPOC communities through policies, infrastructure investments/divestments, and political actions. Fellows will be equipped with knowledge, skills and a community to implement proven countermeasures through the Double Down on What Works and Prioritizing Safety Pillar of the Road to Zero Coalition.

Grantee: Regents of the University of California, Santa Barbara
Project: Evidence Based Data Dashboard to Reduce E-bicycle Deaths/Injuries for Santa Barbara County
Project goal: Our goal is to reduce e-bicycling related deaths/injuries by collecting data, generating knowledge, and deploying tools needed for evidence-based advocacy and decision making aimed to improve e-bike safety. This project will be conducted primarily in Santa Barbara County through partnerships with MOVE Santa Barbara County, the regional pro-bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group, and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), the regional transportation planning organization.

Grantee: Denver Streets Partnership
Project: Ebike Education and Safety Training
Project goal: The public need combined with the Denver Streets Partnership’s Bicycle Colorado’s expertise are the foundation for the proposed new eBike course Confident eBike Rider (CER). This new course will be designed for all levels of skills and abilities with a primary focus on giving participants the tools necessary for high comfort and safety when riding an eBike. Bicycle safety equipment will be provided for all who complete the course and evaluation. In addition, eBike resources will be hosted online including educational videos that supplement the Confident eBike Rider course. Finally, eBike confidence rides will be offered to any individual who completes the CER course. The routes for the confidence rides will be designed with an emphasis on highlighting current and future bicycle infrastructure in Denver and Colorado.

Grantee: Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works
Project: Inspiring a Safer Miami through Inclusive Outreach and Education
Project goal: DTPW is requesting $200,000 from the Program to fund activities under its Vision Zero initiative including $120,000 to develop a Vision Zero Data Sharing Dashboard and $80,000 to launch a pilot of the Community Partners multilingual post-project outreach and educational program. These activities, among others, further DTPW’s unwavering commitment to achieving the Vision Zero goal of zero fatalities and zero serious injuries by the year 2040.

Hear from Past Grantees

2022 Grant Recipients

2019 Grant Recipients

Organization Name	Initiative	Amount
Clackamas County Department of Transportation and Development	Project will showcase holistic Safe Systems approach to reduce fatal and serious injury in a rural community. Approach combines low-cost engineering countermeasures, behavioral change-focused education and targeted enforcement. Will collaborate with public health and schools on alcohol and drug use, look at rural transit options for teens and older adults, and work with Oregon DOT to create affordable driver education and child protection.	$132,280
Michigan State University	Develop and pilot test a methodological framework that will raise awareness of the magnitude of the problems posed by cell phone use by drivers, mitigate the degree to which drivers use cell phones while driving and develop best practices for large-scale use of similar strategies across the United States.	$184,680
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	Increase new teen drivers’ knowledge of sharing the road with commercial vehicles. Will advance two of the three strategies outlined in the Road to Zero report: prioritizing safety and doubling down on what works.	$170,630
University of Massachusetts/Sara's Wish Foundation	National campaign to increase seat belt use on motorcoaches. Will educate passengers on benefits of wearing seat belts, and convince passengers seat belts can save their lives and reduce severity of injuries in crashes, leading to increased motorcoach seat belt use.	$83,150
Nevada Highway Patrol	Nevada Highway Patrol, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and Nevada Department of Transportation pilot program showcased use of artificial intelligence with intelligent roadway design and strategic policing to decrease speed on high-risk roads. Will expand this successful program throughout Las Vegas.	$188,970
University of South Florida - Center for Urban Transportation Research	Media language workshop in five Florida metro areas dangerous for cyclists and walkers. Models for reporting will contextualize bicyclist deaths within a larger discussion about our shared responsibility for traffic safety. Will focus on shifting narrative away from victim-blaming found in media reports.	$51,320
City of North Miami Beach	Project has several components to ensure an effective deployment of strategies to reduce road fatalities, prioritizing safety for vulnerable users, like cyclists and pedestrians.	$188,970
	TOTAL:	$1,000,000

Organization Name	Initiative	Amount
Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy	Partnering to Bring Safe Systems to Tribal Communities	$130,000
Northwestern Center	Prioritizing Accessible Transportation, Health & Safety (PATHS) 4 Belmont Cragin	$125,000
Health by Design	Change at the Crossroads of America: Indiana's Road to Zero	$145,000
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia	The New Jersey Community Traffic Safety Profiles: Utilizing Data Integration and Visualization to Support Equitable Advancement of Road to Zero Pillars	$150,000
Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) with Howard University Transportation Research Center and Safe Routes Partnership	Youth Centered Near Miss and Crash Reporting Tool	$100,000
Portland Bureau of Transportation	Beyond Traffic Safety: Advancing Personal Safety, Security and Sense of Belonging for BIPOC Portlanders	$100,000
	TOTAL:	$750,000

Organization Name	Initiative	Amount
America Walks, in partnership with University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center (UNC-HSRC)	Accelerating Adoption of Safer Systems for All Road Users	$170,256
Bicycle Colorado	Bicycle-friendly Driver and Confident Commuting Program	$109,902
Center for Latino Progress - CPRF	Cooperative Community Crash Reduction, Hartford, CT	$174,038
City of Boston Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics	Boston's Safest Driver	$106,244
Institute of Transportation Engineers in partnership with the Vision Zero Network	Moving from Conversation to Action: A Scalable Training Resource on Speed Management for Transportation Professionals and Community Stakeholders	$181,937
Lorain County Public Health	Lorain Active Transportation Collaborative	$69,976
National Complete Streets Coalition, Smart Growth America	Safe Street, Smart Cities Academy	$185,732
National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago	Underutilized Strategies in Traffic Safety	$62,513
Texas A&M University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering in collaboration with Houston Methodist Hospital	A systems approach to reduce drowsy driving among night-shift nurses	$173,029
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB Youth Safety Lab) in collaboration with Safe Kids Worldwide	Improving Child Restraint Installation in Rural America through Interactive Virtual Presence	$186,602
University of Michigan	Addressing Socioeconomic Disparities in Motor Vehicle Fatalities	$79,772
	TOTAL:	$1,500,000

Organization Name	Initiative	Amount
Chicago Department of Transportation	Vision Zero Garfield Park	$185,654
Los Angeles Police Department	Vision Zero – Priority Corridor Safety Details	$182,149
National Association for County Engineers	Advancing Local Road Safety Practices with State DOTs	$ 83,545
National Complete Streets Coalition	Safe Streets Academy	$185,567
Roadway Safety Foundation	usRap Across America	$139,241
San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency	Vision Zero – Distracted Driving	$111,393
University of Michigan Traffic Research Institute	Reducing Fatalities: Framework for Identifying Future Needs in Technological Counter-measurers and Public Policies	$112,451
	Total:	$1,000,000

Frequently Asked Questions

Congratulations 2023 Grant Recipients

Hear from Past Grantees

2022 Grant Recipients

2019 Grant Recipients

2018 Grant Recipients

2017 Grant Recipients

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