INVESTING IN AMERICA: NHTSA Announces $171 Million in Grants to 19 States and Territories to Upgrade Crash Data Collection Systems

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today announced $171 million in grants to 19 states and territories to upgrade and standardize their crash data systems. The system upgrades will improve the accuracy, timeliness, and accessibility of fatality information, including data about pedestrians and cyclists, through enhanced intrastate data sharing and electronic transfers to NHTSA.

The states and territories selected for awards are American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia.

“These grants will provide much-needed funds for states and territories to upgrade their systems and make sharing data with NHTSA quicker and easier,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said. “These upgrades to crash data systems will provide the agency and the public more timely data, help us identify emerging trends, and advance our shared mission to save lives.”

The State Electronic Data Collection program fulfills a directive from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law requires NHTSA to establish this program, and participating states and territories have five years to implement full electronic data transfers to NHTSA.

The program also advances the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and its work to significantly reduce serious injuries and deaths on our nation’s roads by supporting the improvement of data to inform better decision making. The NRSS embraces the safe system approach, which anticipates that people will make mistakes but builds a holistic system to ensure those mistakes don’t become fatal. More state data coming to NHTSA faster will enable the agency to put the information to work to develop effective and responsive strategies, countermeasures, research, rulemakings and consumer education campaigns.

For more information on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and directives to NHTSA, visit NHTSA’s BIL page.