Grants support innovative efforts to advance roadway safety and reduce traffic fatalities 

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Safety Council has announced the 2026 recipients of the Road to Zero Community Traffic Safety Grants, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to support solutions that advance a holistic approach to making roads, vehicles and people safer.

NHTSA estimates that 36,640 people lost their lives in traffic crashes in 2025, the lowest level of traffic fatalities since 2019. This progress proves the impact of the technologies, strategies and campaigns that shape the safe design of our vehicles and roads, and the safe decisions drivers make when using them.

Funded by NHTSA and administered by NSC, the Community Traffic Safety Grants are awarded annually to initiatives that show promise in building on this momentum by using innovative approaches to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities. The 2026 recipients have demonstrated efforts to advance evidence-driven solutions that address dangerous driving behaviors, strengthen post-crash survivability and apply ingenuity with purpose. The projects are selected with replicability and scalability in mind. Each has the potential to become standard practice for saving lives across the nation. 

"The Road to Zero Community Traffic Safety Grant program supports innovative solutions that save lives," said NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison. "We will never eliminate roadway deaths by maintaining the status quo. These 2026 grantees bring momentum and the types of fresh ideas we need to make a real difference."

"This year's Community Traffic Safety Grant recipients demonstrate the importance of fostering innovation, promoting responsible driving behaviors, and encouraging new ideas in solving the ongoing crisis on our roadways," said Lorraine Martin, NSC CEO and chair of the Road to Zero Coalition. "We are proud to partner with NHTSA to support these projects and look forward to the impact they will have in saving lives on our roads and in our communities."  

The 2026 recipients of the Community Traffic Safety Grants are: 

• Banks County Fire and EMS, Homer, GA
  • Rural Speed Crash Survival: Reducing Fatalities on High-Speed Roadways
• Mehlville Fire Protection District, St. Louis, MO
  • From Scene to Survival: Ultrasound-Enhanced Trauma Care for Roadway Crash Victims
• Transportation Research Center, Inc., East Liberty, OH
  • What Works in Advanced Teen Driver Training: A Data-Driven Pilot Evaluation
• Washington State University, Pullman, WA
  • Developing a Norm-Corrective Communication Toolkit to Reduce Cannabis-Related Driving Risk Among Young Adults
• University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
  • Building Actionable Knowledge of Injury Trends, Severity, and Care Needs among Pediatric Vulnerable Road Users 

"We are beyond grateful to have been awarded a Road to Zero Community Traffic Safety Grant," said Andrew Norris, training division battalion chief of Banks County Fire and EMS. "This funding will provide our department with valuable training, resources and tools to help make our roadways safer for our community, for those who travel through it, and for the first responders who serve them."

The Community Traffic Safety Grants are a key component of the Road to Zero Coalition's work to identify, test and share promising approaches to reducing roadway deaths and serious injuries. The NSC-led Coalition brings together nearly 2,000 transportation safety stakeholders to share evidence and best practices, foster groundbreaking work and help promising solutions reach more communities.

For more information on the Road to Zero Community Traffic Safety Grants, visit here. To learn more about the Road to Zero Coalition, visit here.

About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council is America's leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for over 110 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace and roadways. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.

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©2026 National Safety Council

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SOURCE National Safety Council