Contact: Motor Vehicle Administration
Office of Media Relations
MVAmedia@mdot.maryland.govGLEN BURNIE, MD (September 8, 2025) — The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration's (MVA) Highway Safety Office today announced more than $12.9 million in federal highway safety grants to organizations across Maryland as part of a statewide focus to prevent motor vehicle crashes and eliminate roadway fatalities. The federal funds will be distributed to 96 agencies, organizations and programs Wednesday, October 1.
“Saving lives and preventing fatal crashes is our top priority," said
Maryland Department of Transportation Acting Secretary Samantha J. Biddle. “While Maryland is seeing a reduction in crash fatalities compared to previous years, even one death is too many. These grant funds will support proactive, community-driven initiatives focused on education, enforcement and engineering to help people arrive alive."
Funds awarded this year are based on crash data for each county or organization and may be used for traffic safety initiatives. The federal grants are in addition to the nearly $1.4 million in state-funded grants awarded in July. These funds announced today will support initiatives that:
- Prevent impaired, aggressive and distracted driving;
- Increase the use of seat belts in all seats;
- Increase safety for pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists;
- Promote the correct use of child passenger safety seats;
- Support police training for highway safety and traffic enforcement;
- Fund overtime enforcement of Maryland's traffic laws; and
- Increase the efficiency and capability of Maryland's traffic data systems.
In 2024, Maryland recorded 582 people killed on state roadways, including 163 pedestrians and 10 bicyclists—a decrease from 2023 when the state experienced 621 fatalities.
“Every number in our crash data represents a person—a parent, a child, a neighbor—and that's why our work is so critical," said
Chrissy Nizer, MVA Administrator and Governor Moore's Highway Safety Representative. “These grant investments allow us to reach communities across Maryland with targeted, data-driven programs that educate, enforce, and ultimately save lives. We are making progress, but we won't stop until we reach our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030, to ensure other families do not have to experience the pain of losing a loved one on our roadway."
In 2019, the State of Maryland adopted Vision Zero, a traffic safety strategy that sets a goal of zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030. The goal will guide grant recipients as they implement safety programs. Vision Zero serves as a comprehensive, multi-faceted blueprint to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on roadways across the state by focusing on the four E's: education, engineering, enforcement and emergency medical services. These efforts, as well as the MVA's Highway Safety Office's
Strategic Highway Safety Plan, complement the
Serious About Safety program, a department-wide focus to drive the Maryland Department of Transportation's safety goals and save lives.
The grants apply to Federal Fiscal Year 2026, which runs from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026. Funds must be used solely for traffic safety initiatives. View the list of Highway Safety Grant awardees at
zerodeathsmd.gov/grants/awardees.
Learn more about the Motor Vehicle Administration's Highway Safety Office at
ZeroDeathsMD.gov or on Facebook, X, and Instagram at @ZeroDeathsMD.