The National Safety Council (NSC) has announced the 2026 recipients of its Road to Zero Community Traffic Safety Grants, supporting projects intended to reduce deaths and injuries on roads across the United States.
Funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and administered by NSC, the annual grants support initiatives addressing the safety of road users, vehicles and road infrastructure.
Traffic fatalities fall
NHTSA estimates that 36,640 people died in road traffic crashes during 2025, representing the lowest annual number of traffic fatalities since 2019.
The figures come amid continued efforts to improve road safety through vehicle technology, infrastructure, public awareness and interventions targeting driver behaviour.
Despite the reduction, preventing deaths and serious injuries remains a priority for road safety organisations and authorities.
Grants support new approaches
The Community Traffic Safety Grants are awarded annually to projects demonstrating approaches that could contribute to further reductions in road traffic injuries and fatalities.
For 2026, the selected initiatives include projects addressing dangerous driving behaviours and improving survivability following collisions.
NSC said recipients were selected for their use of evidence driven approaches and their potential to develop practical solutions to established road safety challenges.
Potential for wider implementation
Replicability and scalability are also considered during the selection process.
This means successful approaches developed through individual projects could potentially be adapted or implemented by other communities across the United States.
The programme forms part of the wider Road to Zero initiative and aims to identify interventions capable of contributing to sustained improvements in traffic safety.
By supporting community projects, the grants provide opportunities to test approaches at a local level while assessing whether they could contribute to wider road safety practices.
NHTSA Administrator, Jonathan Morrison, said: “The Road to Zero Community Traffic Safety Grant program supports innovative solutions that save lives. 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.”
Lorraine Martin, NSC CEO and chair of the Road to Zero Coalition, said: “This year’s Community Traffic Safety Grant recipients demonstrate the importance of fostering innovation, promoting responsible driving behaviours and encouraging new ideas in solving the ongoing crisis on our roadways.
“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.”
Andrew Norris, training division battalion chief of Banks County Fire and EMS, said: “We are beyond grateful to have been awarded a Road to Zero Community Traffic Safety Grant. 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.”
Grant recipients include:
- Banks County Fire and EMS, Homer, Georgia
- Rural Speed Crash Survival: Reducing Fatalities on High-Speed Roadways
Mehlville Fire Protection District, St. Louis, Missouri - From Scene to Survival: Ultrasound-Enhanced Trauma Care for Roadway Crash Victims
Transportation Research Center, Inc., East Liberty, Ohio - What Works in Advanced Teen Driver Training: A Data-Driven Pilot Evaluation
Washington State University, Pullman, Washington - Developing a Norm-Corrective Communication Toolkit to Reduce Cannabis-Related Driving Risk Among Young Adults
University of Alabama at Birmingham - Building Actionable Knowledge of Injury Trends, Severity and Care Needs among Pediatric Vulnerable Road Users
