NHTSA Awards $171M to 19 States and Territories to Upgrade Crash Data Collection Systems

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced $171 million in grants to 19 states and territories to upgrade and standardize their crash data systems.

The system upgrades are intended to improve the accuracy, timeliness, and accessibility of fatality information, including data about pedestrians and cyclists, through better intrastate data sharing and electronic transfers to NHTSA.

The states and territories selected 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,” stated NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman. “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 comes under a directive from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which requires NHTSA to establish the program. States and territories have five years to implement full electronic data transfers to NHTSA.

The program is also intended to advance the department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and its work to reduce serious injuries and deaths by supporting the improvement of data to inform better decision making.