The funding is through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and will be used to support initiatives in the Montana Comprehensive Highway Traffic Safety Plan.
The plan targets traffic safety in a four-prong approach: enforcement, education, engineering and emergency response. Officials believe that, by addressing all four components, crashes can be prevented and the number of deaths and injuries can be reduced.
- MDT will contract with the Missoula City-County Health Department to assist DUI task forces across the state. Grants will be available to smaller communities to establish and support DUI task forces.
- The Whitefish Police Department will receive two motorcycles in support of impaired driving and seatbelt enforcement.
- MDT will fund DUI Courts in Kalispell and Billings dedicated to changing the behavior of alcohol/drug dependent offenders arrested for driving under the influence. MDT will also fund representatives from Fort Peck Tribal Court, 7th Judicial District (Dawson, McCone, Prairie, Richland and Wibaux counties) and Kalispell Municipal Court to attend DUI court training.
- MDT will fund a Traffic Safety Program Officer for the Ronan Police Department to focus specifically on traffic enforcement, impaired driving, aggressive driving and seatbelt use along Highway 93 in Lake County, one of Montana's high crash corridors, and in the city of Ronan
- MDT will use $1.3 million to fund state, city, county and tribal law enforcement Selective Traffic Enforcement Programs (STEP) to focus on deterring impaired drivers and encouraging the use of seat belts. MDT will also purchase equipment for local and tribal law enforcement used to detect and deter impaired driving ($260,000).
- The Safe On All Roads (SOAR) public information and education program targeting Native American traffic safety will continue and be expanded to all seven reservations in the state.
- Motorcycle safety education and deterring impaired motorcycle driving will be targeted with $95,000.
- MDT will fund scholarships for students to attend the Mariah's Challenge - Leadership Conference February 2009 arranged by the Butte-Silver Bow County Health Department.
- MDT will contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to implement an Alcohol, Screening, Brief Intervention & Referral Treatment program in medical facilities statewide. This project will provide training to medical staff to develop their skills in alcohol screening and intervention protocol.
- The Montana Motor Carriers Association will receive $20,000 to support an education campaign to increase commercial vehicle driver seatbelt use.
- The Department of Justice Forensics Science Division Laboratory will receive a Gas Chromatograph that detects alcohol quantities in blood samples. This is the only laboratory that provides forensics services to all law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Information derived from the Gas Chromatograph can be used as evidence in court.
MDT has targeted prevention of traffic fatalities and injuries as a top priority. In 2007, 277 people died on Montana's roads. To date, 209 people have died on Montana's roads, compared to 252 this time last year.
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