ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Public Health was awarded $2,862,037 from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in an effort to fund state programs to reduce fatal crashes in Georgia.

Much of the money will go to a project promoting the safe transportation of children that includes training on child safety seats.

“This long-standing, unique partnership between Highway Safety and Public Health helps promote a safer Georgia,” said Kathleen E. Toomey, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health. “This programmatic support has made a difference for Georgians and continues to save lives and prevent injuries.”

Officials say the funding “acknowledges the success of programs in Georgia that are essential to protecting public health.”

In 2023, there were 1,615 deadly motor vehicle crashes in 2023, which marked a decrease of 10% from 2022, but still ranking Georgia fourth in the number of fatalities in the nation," Georgia Department of Health officials said.

Officials say another program receiving funds pushes driver safety for adults over 55 years old.

“Unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants of all ages are nearly 6.4 times more likely to be fatally injured compared to restrained occupants. Almost half (47%) of those who were fatally injured were unrestrained at the time of the crash,” Georgia Department of Health officials added.

“Innovative projects like these are designed with the intent for Georgia and our nation to reach the realistic goal of zero traffic deaths by the middle of this century,” said Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

According to DPH, funding will go to the following programs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2026:

$1,844,197.05 to the Injury Prevention Program’s Child Occupant Safety Project (COSP) that promotes safe transportation of children throughout Georgia. COSP provides child safety seats and education for local caregivers through the car seat mini-grant program, active in more than 140 counties, as well as training specific to healthcare professionals, law enforcement, emergency medical services, firefighters, and childcare providers.

• $220,534.30 to the Office of Health Indicators for Planning, which processes Death, Population, Hospital Discharge, and emergency room (ER) visit data. Data are made available to DPH on a departmental data warehouse and are published on OASIS, a web-based query system providing public access to Motor Vehicle Crash information on Deaths, Population, Hospital Discharges, and ER visits (reporting using data tables, trends, charts, and maps).
• $377,753.86 to the Injury Prevention Program’s Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES), a project that brings together multiple agencies to identify opportunities for crash prevention by linking and analyzing crash, vehicle, and behavioral characteristics to medical and financial data. The CODES group also produced the Georgia Traffic Safety Facts (GTSF) and the Georgia Traffic Safety Quick Facts for the identified Georgia emphasis areas.
• $211,955.39 to the Injury Prevention Program’s 55+ Driver Safety Program. This program is a resource for drivers over 55 to help maintain their mobility, mental and physical acuity, and lifestyle as they age.  The program offers presentations, workshops, and events, including the Yellow Dot Program, CarFit, and an annual symposium on safe driving and aging.
• $207,596.48 for support of GEMSIS (the Georgia Emergency Medical Services Information System) upgrades and linkages, as well as tools to measure the time to definitive care, especially for trauma patients. The GEMSIS database is the only statewide source for pre-hospital care information. The GEMSIS Upgrades grant will support efforts to improve the completeness and accuracy of patient care information.