Albion PD, Sheriff’s Office awarded traffic safety, child passenger grants

ALBION – Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced that more than $37.2 million in federal highway safety grants have been awarded to 502 programs throughout New York State during the federal FY 2021.

The Albion Police Department was awarded $2,000 for a child passenger safety program and $3,528 for a police traffic safety initiative.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office was approved for $1,700 for a child passenger safety program and $8,032 for a police traffic safety initiative.

These grants throughout the state provide funding to local, state and not-for-profit agencies for projects that improve overall highway safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries due to crashes, Cuomo said.

The projects awarded funding focused on three types of driver safety initiatives: highway safety, child passenger safety and police traffic services.

The funding, which is provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is administered by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. This year, $37.2 million was awarded to 502 projects that focused on three types of driver safety initiatives:

• $32.1 Million for Highway Safety Grants

Provided to state, local and not-for-profit programs that cover a variety of traffic safety efforts including education initiatives, traffic records improvements, training, crash reconstruction, and railroad crossing safety. In addition, the programs cover distracted driving, slow moving vehicles, and drowsy and impaired driving. These initiatives focus on protecting child passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists, wheel-sport athletes, motorcyclists, teens and older drivers.

• $2.6 Million for Child Passenger Safety

Supports child passenger safety education, training for child passenger safety technicians, conducting car seat checks statewide, operating a car seat distribution program for low-income families, and establishing permanent child safety seat fitting stations.

• $2.5 Million for Police Traffic Services

Initiatives by law enforcement agencies to target dangerous driver behaviors. This includes participation in the national Click It or Ticket seat belt mobilization and other enforcement initiatives aimed at preventing unsafe speed, aggressive and distracted behaviors, and occupant restraint enforcement.

“The safety of our roadways is critical to communities in every corner of this great state and we’re working to avoid needless tragedies caused by dangerous and reckless driving,” Cuomo said. “This funding will support critical traffic enforcement, community programs and child passenger safety initiatives that will help protect everyone on the road and make our state’s roadways safer for all.”