COLUMBUS — The Ohio Traffic Safety Office recently awarded more than $24 million with 189 grants for statewide programming to improve traffic safety and reduce traffic-related fatalities. There were five grants awarded locally.
Local programs that received funding included:
• Allen County Sheriff’s Office, Impaired Driving/Selective Traffic Enforcement Program: $71,002.50
• Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission, Safe Community Program: $46,200
• Shawnee Township Police Department, Summer Holiday Enforcement Program: $14,752.57
• Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, Impaired Driving/Selective Traffic Enforcement Program: $34,586.72
• Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office, Impaired Driving/Selective Traffic Enforcement Program: $47,708.06
The grants were awarded in traffic safety priority areas such as impaired driving, seat belt usage, speeding, distracted driving, youthful driving and motorcycle safety. Money was given based on the number of fatal crashes in each area.
“Ohio is on track to see a decline in fatal crashes this year, but we have much more work to do,” said OTSO Director Emily Davidson. “In recent years, Ohio has seen encouraging improvements in some safety areas, such as an increase in seat belt use and a decrease in distracted driving. These grant funds will allow us to keep making progress.”
The grants awarded to departments for the Impaired Driving/Selective Traffic Enforcement Program and the Summer Holiday Enforcement Program will be used for overtime hours accrued while reducing traffic-related fatal crashes that involve impaired driving, seat belt usage, speed, aggressive driving, motorcycles and failure to yield.
The Safe Community Program funds will be used to address these issues by delivering local traffic safety messages and programs throughout the year.
