The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a $120,013.49 grant for traffic enforcement. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety announced Forsyth County would be one of 21 recipients of the Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (H.E.A.T.) grant.
The grant's goal is to see a decrease in crashes that happen due to impaired driving and speeding. Funds are also used to educate the public about traffic safety and seatbelt use, as well as the dangers of DUI. In a press release, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said it will use the grant money to, “develop and implement strategies to reduce local traffic crashes due to aggressive and dangerous driving behaviors.”
Grant monies are given by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Allen Poole says that the hope is that even one fatality might be prevented. “The fact that almost all fatal traffic crashes can be prevented is one reason why we are awarding this grant,” says Poole. “The target of zero traffic deaths in our nation is achievable, and we will continue to help develop and implement educational messages and enforcement campaigns aimed at bringing our state one step closer to that goal.”
Totaling $6.7 million for 2021, H.E.A.T. grants were designed to assist Georgia jurisdictions with the highest rates of traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities with grant amounts awarded based on impaired driving and speeding data.
Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman says he is grateful for the grant. “Traffic concerns are one of our citizens' most prevalent complaints. Keeping our citizens safe on our roadways is an incredibly important job for FCSO,” says Freeman. “Grants such as this HEAT grant from GOHS help us do just that, keep our citizens safe by helping us take dangerous drivers off our roads.”
http://accesswdun.com/article/2020/10/947621/grant-aims-to-assist-forsyth-county-sherriffs-office-prevent-traffic-fatalities