By Corey Carlson
In November 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), was enacted by Congress and signed by then-President Joe Biden. Included in this legislation is the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program, which appropriated $5 billion over five years (2022–2026) to fund regional, local and tribal initiatives to increase roadway safety.
The Problem of Roadway Crashes
According to the NHTSA’s Office of EMS Institute, there are 1.5 million roadway crash incidents every year in the U.S. that require an EMS response. As a result of these crashes, nearly 43,000 deaths occur annually. EMS data from 2022 further emphasizes the critical role of emergency medical services in responding to severe motor vehicle crashes:
- Vehicle occupant ejections: EMS responded to 8,747 crashes involving occupants who were partially or completely ejected.
- Vehicle extrications: EMS responded to 48,517 incidents requiring vehicle extrication.
- Serious injuries: EMS responded to 169,462 crash incidents involving seriously injured victims.
Since most of these incidents involved 911 calls, it’s clear both telecommunications systems and EMS clinicians are critical to successful emergency crash response. Timely, effective medical care is the key to enhancing survivability after a crash occurs.
The Comprehensive Safety Action Plan includes strategies to implement the Safe System Approach for safer drivers, safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds and improved post-crash care.
Solving the Problem
The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Roadway Safety Strategy outlines a comprehensive approach to significantly reduce serious injuries and deaths. Components of the strategy include:
- Safer people: More alert, aware and focused drivers.
- Safer roads: More guard rails, better warning signage and clearly marked speed zones.
- Safer vehicles: Features such as automatic alert systems for drifting out of lanes, advanced crash-prevention systems and enhanced crash alerts.
- Safer speeds: Better signage to alert drivers about dangerous roadways, tight turns and mountainous terrain.
- Post-crash care: Increased survivability through enhanced access to emergency medical services, especially in areas where EMS may be limited.
This approach provides a vital blueprint for reducing serious injuries and traffic-related deaths by recognizing that humans make mistakes and the transportation system should be designed to minimize the consequences of those errors. Rather than focusing solely on individual responsibility, the National Roadway Safety Strategy emphasizes a shared commitment across road users, vehicle manufacturers, infrastructure designers and policymakers to build in layers of protection.
The SS4A grant program is a key component of national and local efforts to save lives by reducing auto crashes and improving survival rates in those that do occur.
The SS4A Grant Program
The 2025 SS4A Notice of Funding Opportunity was announced in March 2025. Applications are currently open, with a deadline of 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 26, 2025. Eligible applicants include metropolitan planning organizations, political subdivisions (cities, towns, counties), tribal governments and multijurisdictional groups of the entities mentioned above.
There are two types of SS4A grants. The first type is the Planning and Demonstration Activity grant, which funds the creation of a comprehensive safety action plan and defining the work required to complete or enhance the action plan. The second type is the Implementation Activity grant, which provides funding to implement the projects and strategies identified in an eligible action plan.
It’s important to note that most Planning and Demonstration action plan applications (up to 90%) get funded. These applications require a narrative of up to two pages (if requesting less than $1 millions) or up to three pages (if requesting $1 million or more). The application process is reportedly straightforward and includes four selection criteria:
- Safety impact: How well the proposed activities address roadway safety issues and help reduce fatalities and serious injuries.
- Equity, engagement and collaboration: The extent to which the proposed activities consider equity (including the involvement of underserved communities) and the level of across-the-board stakeholder engagement.
- Effective practices and strategies: The use of evidence-based practices and strategies in the proposed activities.
- Other DOT strategic goals: How the proposed activities align with other strategic goals of the USDOT.
Implementation grant applications are more involved, requiring a 10- to 12-page narrative. Approximately 20% of Implementation grants are awarded.
Only one application can be submitted by any given entity — either a Planning and Demonstration project or an Implementation project. The Department of Transportation also expects requesting entities to have “skin in the game,” requiring a 20% local match for both types of application.
Grants for EMS Projects
Examples of possible EMS activities for a SS4A application include:
- System and process changes to reduce response times.
- Emergency medical dispatch improvements.
- Traffic signal preemption and prioritization.
- Improvements to on-scene EMS care.
- Evidence-based EMS or 911 countermeasures.
Here are two examples of specific SS4A projects that have been funded:
Town of Colonie EMS, New York (Planning and Demonstration Grant)
Three agencies collaborated on a project titled, “The Responder and Patient Safety Improvement Project.” The project was awarded $2.4 million in grant funding. The pilot demonstration focused on the prevention of avoidable crashes along more than 30 miles of high-speed roadways. The project included the use of transponder technology that alerts cars approaching an emergency scene to slow down and give drivers advanced notice to prevent secondary incidents. This technology can increase advanced notice of a crash from three to five seconds to 20 to 30 seconds. The project also includes the creation of prehospital health information exchange that improves post-crash care at the point of delivery.
Upper Pine River Fire, Colorado (Planning and Demonstration Grant)
This multijurisdictional application involving fire, EMS and tribal government focused on a two-lane roadway that is notoriously dangerous, transversing mountain passes and subject to extreme weather issues. The award amount was $201,500. The focus of the application was post-crash care. Elements in the application included:
- Traffic incident management course
- Safety of responder strategies
- Extrication tools
- Items to increase survival of crash victims, such as whole blood and pre-hospital trauma life support
Key Takeaways for Grant Applicants
The purpose of the SS4A grant program is to prevent deaths and serious injuries on roadways for motorists, commercial vehicle operators, public transportation users, cyclists and pedestrians. The Comprehensive Safety Action Plan includes strategies to implement the Safe System Approach for safer drivers, safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds and improved post-crash care. Here are a few final considerations if your agency wants to take advantage of this valuable opportunity for funding:
- Collaborate with other stakeholders. Consult with other first responders, Department of Transportation representatives, traffic safety divisions, planning commissions and so forth to get a better picture of what can be done in your area.
- Follow the guidelines. Carefully align your grant application with the National Roadway Safety Strategy’s Safe System Approach to ensure your request coordinates with DOT’s overall goals.
- Consider a broad range of perspectives. Include diverse points of view on the safety situation in your jurisdiction as well as ideas on how to remediate danger areas.
- Remember the goals. Focus on comprehensive safety action planning and tangible steps you can take to implement those plans.
For questions or more information please visit the Department of Transportation’s website to peruse handy resources specific to the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant programs.
Not sure where to start? Lexipol’s team of expert grant writers, researchers and project managers can help your EMS agency through custom grant solutions geared toward getting the funds you need to meet public health and safety mandates.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Corey Carlson is the EMS segment lead for Lexipol, where she researches legislation and grant opportunities for EMS sponsors and customers. Corey also consults with EMS GAP customers as a grant expert for Lexipol. She has over 22 years of experience working in the grant arena for first responders.
