U.S. Transportation Secretary Mineta Announces $50.47 Million in Grants to Increase Seat Belt Use |
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Topics: Norman Y. Mineta
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
November 22, 2002
NHTSA 71-02
Friday, November 22, 2002
Contact: Tim Hurd
Tel. No. (202) 366-9550
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced that 34 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will share $50.47 million in incentive grants for increasing seat belt use.
"Seat belts are the most effective vehicle safety device in a motor vehicle crash. They save about 12,000 lives each year and would save thousands more if everyone buckled up on every trip," Secretary Mineta said. "These grants give states an additional incentive to try to increase seat belt use, thereby saving lives and Federal medical costs."
Fiscal year 2003 is the fifth and final year that incentive grants have been awarded to states that have either achieved a seat belt usage rate above the national average for 2000 and 2001 or that have achieved a usage rate in 2001 that is higher than the state had in any previous year since 1996.
The grants are authorized by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). The act provided more than $1.2 billion in incentive grants to increase seat belt use and prevent drunk driving – $500 million over five years to increase seat belt use and another $700 million over six years for states to enact and enforce tough laws to prevent alcohol-impaired driving.
The amount of each state’s grant is based on savings in medical costs to the federal government from increased seat belt use. The award amounts range from a low of $19,800 for Alaska to a high of $16.5 million for California.
Sixteen states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico exceeded the national average use rate in 2000 and 2001. Eighteen states qualified by increasing their 2001 seat belt use rate above their highest previous use rate since 1996.
Funds provided as seat belt use incentive grants support a variety of state programs ranging from encouraging seat belt use to special traffic enforcement programs.
The following table lists the states receiving grants and their grant amounts:
Fiscal Year 2003 Seat Belt Use Incentive Grants
( Section 157 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century)
| State | Amount |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $987,800 |
| Alaska | $19,800 |
| California* | $16,504,600 |
| Colorado | $1,087,700 |
| Connecticut* | $503,600 |
| Delaware | $33,800 |
| District of Columbia* | $382,100 |
| Florida | $2,863,600 |
| Georgia* | $1,634,700 |
| Hawaii* | $277,300 |
| Idaho | $58,700 |
| Illinois | $571,000 |
| Indiana | $1,174,900 |
| Iowa* | $633,600 |
| Kentucky | $259,600 |
| Maryland* | $2,138,800 |
| Massachusetts | $504,000 |
| Michigan* | $2,840,700 |
| Minnesota | $75,400 |
| Mississippi | $293,200 |
| Missouri | $51,500 |
| Montana* | $44,400 |
| New Jersey* | $983,400 |
| New Mexico* | $976,300 |
| New York* | $3,700,900 |
| North Carolina* | $3,404,700 |
| North Dakota | $133,000 |
| Ohio | $905,200 |
| Oklahoma | $47,400 |
| Oregon* | $1,368,300 |
| Tennessee | $1,710,600 |
| Texas* | $1,199,800 |
| Utah* | $159,400 |
| Washington* | $1,948,600 |
| Wisconsin | $668,700 |
| PuertoRico* | $291,800 |
| TOTAL | $50,468,900 |
* States exceeded the national average use rate in both 2000 and 2001.
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