ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Over the past four years more than 50 agencies and programs across Northwest Missouri have received almost $200,000 in funding for programs working towards reducing the number of injuries and fatalities on our roads. Beginning March 1, the Northwest Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety will begin accepting applications for our next round of grant funding for the 2019 fiscal year.
Preliminary year-end numbers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol show that 54 people lost their lives in 2017 traffic crashes in Northwest Missouri, a 17 percent increase from the previous year. Of those fatalities, 74 percent were unbuckled which is much higher than the 2017 statewide rate of 64 percent.
"The final numbers aren’t in yet, but crash reports from the Highway Patrol report 54 people died on Northwest Missouri roads in 2017,” says Larry Stobbs, Jr., chair of the coalition's Northwest Region. "That’s up 17 percent from last year. Our coalition is part of a partnership working towards zero deaths on Missouri roadways, but we can’t get there alone. We know there are great agencies and organizations around our region are working towards that same goal and we’d like to help them complete traffic safety programs that may otherwise have to be shelved due to lack of funds.”
Organizations eligible to apply for these funds include schools, community groups, law enforcement, health departments, and others. Online grant applications are available at http://savemolives.com/regions-connect/northwest. Completed applications are due by the close of business on Friday, April 20, 2018, with award announcements to be made in July. All awarded funds must be spent and all reimbursement paperwork submitted prior to mid-May 2019.
To be eligible for the grants, programs must address at least one of the emphasis areas identified in Missouri’s Blueprint document. These include serious crash types, high-risk drivers and occupants, special vehicles, vulnerable roadway users, and special roadway environments. The more widespread the impact the program has, and the longer it lasts, the better chance it has to receive some of the limited funds. Further information on these emphasis areas is available in the Blueprint for Safer Roadways available for download at www.savemolives.com.
If you’d like to learn more about the Coalition, a meeting will be held Tuesday, March 6, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the Missouri Department of Transportation office located at 3602 North Belt Highway in St. Joseph. The meeting is open to anyone.
Immediately following the meeting, from 3 to 4 p.m. in the same location, there will be a grant writing mini workshop. Many applicants found last year’s workshop to be helpful as they went through the application process. Representatives from the Coalition will walk grant applicants through the process and answer any questions the applicants may have. All potential grant applicants are encouraged to attend, if possible.
For more information, contact Northwest Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety Chairperson Larry Stobbs, Jr. at 816-236-1474
, or your local regional planning commission, as noted on the application.
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