Governor Kay Ivey (below, right) has awarded three grants totaling more than US$1.8m to the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Public Safety (CAPS) for collection of detailed traffic safety information and related technological upgrades and developments.
CAPS will continue collecting statewide traffic data, assisting with a state highway safety plan, providing software for law enforcement personnel and first responders, and conducting surveys for seat belt, child restraint and impaired driving statistics.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) is administering the grants from funds made available by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and from the state’s Traffic Safety Trust Fund, which receives fines paid by individuals found guilty of driving license infringements which are used for traffic safety purposes.
The new funding for CAPS is split into three programs:
A US$942,861 grant will enable the center to support data collection and technology, with the funds assisting in the development of the state’s Highway Safety Plan, supporting and expanding an electronic citation software system to local law enforcement agencies, coordinating surveys on impaired driving, and developing web tools for Community Traffic Safety Program offices to report funding and enforcement;
A US$701,275 grant will allow the center to continue developing web systems used by emergency medical services personnel, with funds also helping with a DUI/citation tracking system;
A US$197,850 grant will fund evaluations of surveys measuring proper seat belt and child restraint usage during the national ‘Click It or Ticket’ enforcement campaign, with CAPS coordinating analysis of the studies compiling a report on their findings.
“With access to accurate information and data, our law enforcement agencies can use their time and resources more effectively to keep our roads safe and to save lives,” Ivey said. “I am thankful to the Center for Advanced Public Safety for the valuable information they provide, and I am pleased to assist the center’s efforts.”
ADECA’s director, Kenneth Boswell, commented, “Governor Ivey is a strong supporter of Alabama’s law enforcement officers, and the tools and information provided by the Center for Advanced Public Safety will help them increase safety on our roads and help them perform their duties even more effectively. We are pleased to join with the governor in supporting the valuable work the center does for our state.”
