State Highway Safety Showcases

Between 2016 and 2020, more than 2,000 Oklahomans lost their lives on rural roads. Teen drivers in the state have a higher incidence of crashes than any other age group. As a result, the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office (OHSO) partnered with several organizations to implement an evidence-based, statewide teen driver safety education program that also included enforcement.

Teen drivers 16-20 years of age in New York State account for a disproportionate number of crashes each year. Every day, approximately ten people are killed or injured in car crashes involving a teen driver. The leading causes of these crashes are excessive speed, distraction and driver inexperience. 

In Montana, Native Americans comprise 6.2% of the population but account for approximately 17% of the state’s motor vehicle crash deaths each year. A closer look at the data reveal that Native American drivers 20 years of age and younger are involved in 30% of these fatal crashes. To tackle this issue, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) developed the "Safe On All Roads" (SOAR) traffic safety program, which is managed by coordinators living in Tribal communities.

Missouri has more than 4,500 teenagers in foster care who often lack the resources and support to obtain driver education and training. Through a grant, funded by GHSA and Ford Driving Skills for Life, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) made driver education and training available to teens in foster care.

Through a grant from GHSA and Responsibility.org, the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety trained judges and case managers to use the CARS tool to aid in developing personalized treatment recommendations and more individualized sentencing decisions for DUI offenders, thereby reducing their chances of reoffending. Nevada’s goals were to increase education, awareness and the use of the CARS tool by providing two virtual and one in-person training.

With the legalization of recreational cannabis in Maryland on July 1, 2023, it is necessary that the state train officers to detect cannabis-impaired driving. Through a grant from GHSA and Responsibility.org, the Maryland Highway Safety Office (MHSO) supported the expansion of green labs, providing law enforcement officers the opportunity to learn about the impairing effects of cannabis and detect cannabis impairment at the roadside. 

In 2021, there were 848 fatal crashes in Louisiana, 336 (39.6%) of which involved alcohol use on the part of one or both drivers. These crashes resulted in 369 fatalities, accounting for 39.5% of the 993 traffic fatalities during that year. Through a grant from GHSA and Responsibility.org, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission used the funding to purchase equipment allowing the labs to test every impaired driving blood sample submitted for analysis for a wider array of drugs, including inhalants.

Since January 1, 2020, Illinois residents 21-years and older can legally purchase cannabis from licensed sellers with or without a medical card. Through a grant funded by GHSA and Responsibility.org, the Illinois State Highway Safety Office used the funding to expand its ability to test drivers arrested for impairment by synthetic opioids by partnering with the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Analytical Forensic Toxicology Lab (AFTL).

Through a grant funded by GHSA and Responsibility.org, the Connecticut Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office (CDOT HSO) delivered the state’s first green lab, providing law enforcement officers with training and advanced information on how to identify impairment by cannabis. Additionally, CDOT HSO developed an operation plan which is now the blueprint for future green labs.

Through a grant from GHSA and General Motors, the Nebraska Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office (NDOT HSO) conducted research on distracted driving in partnership with Acusensus, an advanced imaging and artificial intelligence company.