Gov. Wes Moore announced more than $14.5 million in federal highway safety grants to 99 agencies and organizations across Maryland this week, with Southern Maryland’s three core counties sharing close to $137,000 of that total.
The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office will distribute the funds Oct. 1, the start of federal fiscal year 2027. According to the office’s published awardee list, local recipients in Southern Maryland include:
- Charles County Sheriff’s Office — $54,000
- La Plata Police Department — $9,000
- Calvert County Sheriff’s Office — $34,000
- Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse, Inc. (CAASA) — $10,860
- St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office — $13,000
- St. Mary’s County Health Department — $16,000
Nearby, the Anne Arundel County Police Department and Anne Arundel County Office of Transportation received a combined $88,000, and the Prince George’s County Police Department received $148,000.
Grant amounts are awarded based on local traffic safety needs and crash data, and the funding can only go toward approved traffic safety initiatives, including efforts to reduce impaired, aggressive and distracted driving; increase seat belt use; improve safety for pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists; promote correct child passenger seat use; fund law enforcement training and overtime traffic enforcement; and improve the state’s traffic data systems.
“Marylanders deserve to feel safe on our roads and we have a responsibility to ensure we’re keeping people safe,” Moore said in a statement announcing the awards. “This funding will help our local partners turn proven strategies into action, preventing crashes and saving lives.”
The grants come as Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller has convened a new statewide highway safety coalition bringing together government, law enforcement and community leaders around shared roadway-safety goals. “Traffic safety is a shared responsibility, and it demands a shared commitment,” Miller said.
Statewide, 486 people were killed on Maryland roads in 2025 — down from 582 in 2024 and the lowest annual total in a decade — including 111 pedestrians and 10 bicyclists. As of Sept. 8, 2026, 298 people had died in crashes on Maryland roads this year. MDOT Secretary Katie Thomson said the state has made “meaningful progress” but that “there is still more work ahead,” while Motor Vehicle Administrator Chrissy Nizer said the office is looking for the data-driven strategies funded by these grants to have a measurable impact in communities statewide.
The awards are funded separately from nearly $675,000 in state-funded highway safety grants distributed in July, and fall under Maryland’s 2026–2030 Strategic Highway Safety Plan, which organizes safety efforts around education, engineering, enforcement and emergency medical services.
A full list of all 99 award recipients statewide is available at zerodeathsmd.gov/grants/awardees.
