The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is a state office responsible for reducing fatalities, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes through the administration of the Highway Safety Plan (HSP). OTS distributes funds state-wide in the form of traffic safety grants that are awarded to political subdivisions of the state based upon certain criteria. OTS develops a yearly HSP that identifies the primary highway safety problems in the State and provides potential solutions.

The OTS receives funding through the National Highway Safety Act (NHWSA) which provides for federal traffic safety funds to individual states. In 1967, the California Traffic Safety Program was enacted by the Legislature to provide authority for California to implement the requirements of the Act. Subsequently, the Governor delegated authority to administer the Program to the Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency (BT&H). The Secretary of BT&H, in turn, created the OTS.

Identified in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), OTS has several priority areas for grant funding, including:

• Alcohol and Other Drug Countermeasures
• Police Traffic Services
• Occupant Protection
• Traffic Records
• Emergency Medical Services
• Roadway Safety
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

Political subdivisions of the state are eligible to apply for and receive OTS grant funding. In addition to state governmental agencies, state colleges, and state universities, subdivisions of the state include local city and county government agencies, school districts, fire departments, and public emergency services providers. Non-profit, community-based organizations (CBOs) are eligible to apply for funding through a political subdivision of the state. For example, a city department may submit a proposal that includes funding for CBO participation. The CBO funding would be included under contractual services in the proposal budget. If you have a question as to whether or not you are eligible to apply, contact your OTS Coordinator.

The OTS supports a wide variety of traffic safety programs which have helped make California a national leader in the traffic safety arena. Such programs include a strong anti-DUI component including grant programs targeting public awareness and education, community-based coalitions, youth education in high schools and colleges, judicial training, responsible beverage service training and a sobriety checkpoint program with law enforcement. The OTS also funds pedestrian and bicycle safety programs for children, occupant protection, including child passenger safety outreach, and support for increased law enforcement services and resources.

OTS typically mails the solicitation postcard and posts the proposal package on the website in November.

Solicitation postcards are mailed annually to chiefs of police, contract city police departments, fire departments, county emergency medical services (EMS) agencies, multi-county EMS system agencies, city engineers, county engineers, city managers, mayors, county administrators, county health officers, and state departments.

Proposals must be postmarked on or before January 31.

No, hand delivered proposals must be received on or before January 31.

Please address all proposals to:

Proposal Submission
Office of Traffic Safety
7000 Franklin Boulevard, Suite 440
Sacramento, CA 95823-1899

No, proposals are accepted by mail only.

One original and three photo copies, and all copies must be three-hole punched.

Yes, however, proposals submitted in response to the November request for proposals, and postmarked by January 31, receive priority consideration for funding. (Proposals received between February and November will normally be included in the subsequent federal fiscal year [FFY] funding cycle. The FFY begins on October 1 and ends on September 30.)

Yes, please see the Proposal Forms Instructions documents for more information. OTS forms and instructions are updated with each annual solicitation. Therefore, please download the proposal documents applicable to your agency. Several proposal templates are provided:

• Grants Made Easy for local enforcement agencies.
• Emergency Medical Service (EMS) for local fire or EMS agencies requesting extrication equipment.
• General for agencies submitting proposals that address any program area not covered by a template, including police traffic services, alcohol and other drugs, occupant protection, pedestrian and bicycle safety, emergency medical services, and traffic records and engineering.

Yes, please complete the entire proposal package for each proposal.

Your OTS Coordinator can mail you an actual grant agreement similar to the type of program you are requesting. Sample proposals are available as part of the Proposal Package. For more information, you can also refer to the OTS Blueprint - Best Practices .

OTS evaluates proposals using several criteria, including potential traffic safety impact of proposed activities; local collision statistics and OTS rankings; seriousness of identified problems; performance on previous grants; proportionality of funding requested with identified traffic safety problem(s); and the value of the funding requested for the proposed activities.

Please refer to the Grant Program Manual, Chapter 2 for allowable costs and refer to the OTS Blueprint - Best Practices for types of funded programs, or contact your OTS Coordinator.

Typically, OTS grants are for a one year period (October 1 – September 30).

If possible, please submit support letters with the proposals.

There is no set maximum, but every item requested in your proposed estimated budget needs to be clearly justified to support the program's goals and objectives. The amount requested must be proportional to the problem(s) stated.

The amount of grant funds OTS receives varies annually.  OTS expects to receive approximately $25 million in grant funding for the 2008 cycle – down from $77 million in 2007.

OTS plans to send notification letters in May 2008.

Grants Made Easy (GME) is a grant proposal process designed specifically for local law enforcement agencies.  The goal of GME is to significantly reduce the paperwork and time required to submit a proposal and finalize a grant agreement.  This innovative grant application process is a direct result of the OTS Performance Improvement Initiative to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, this program streamlines the reporting requirements by replacing the Final Report with an Executive Summary and last quarterly performance report.

Yes, GME is the new recommended process for local law enforcement agencies to apply for funding.  OTS will give priority funding consideration to local law enforcement agencies submitting GME Proposals.

There are three types:

• DUI Enforcement & Awareness Program (DUI)
• Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP)
• Vehicle Impound Program (VI)

Yes, go to the GME applications titled Overtime Only. These grants are a one year grant period (October 1 through September 30). Due to limited funding for this grant cycle, GME overtime proposals will receive a funding priority over GME proposals requesting full-time personnel.

Go to GME applications titled Full-Time and Overtime. Grants requesting funding for full-time position(s) have a two year grant period. OTS funds 100 percent of salary and benefits the first Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) for full-time personnel; and 50 percent the second FFY with the grantee contributing the other 50 percent. Due to limited funding for the FFY 2008 grant cycle, GME proposals requesting full-time personnel will be given a low funding priority.

Yes.

No, GME grants with full-time personnel positions are limited to two years, and GME grants with overtime activities only are limited to one year.

No, OTS will not accept GME proposals that combine goals and objectives from more than one GME proposal template. However, OTS will accept more than one GME proposal from a single agency.

No, applicants must retain the goals and objectives listed in the GME Schedule A (OTS-38b) templates. If you are unable to conduct one or more of the objectives listed, insert a “0” for the number to complete and make sure there are no costs for this activity on the GME Schedule B (OTS-39 and 39a). In addition, please provide a brief explanation in the proposal cover letter, why you are unable to conduct this activity.

You will be asked to fill in the information requested in the Grant Agreement, Page 1 (OTS-38), make any necessary adjustments or revisions, complete the OTS Quarterly Data Evaluation form (Schedule C), and sign the Acceptance of Conditions and Certifications (OTS-33).

OTS notifies agencies that their proposal has been selected for funding in May.  Following the OTS Grant Cycle, selected agencies will be contacted by their OTS Coordinator to develop the final grant agreement.

You must submit a Quarterly Data Evaluation form (Schedule C) completing the 2007 base year goal and objective data points highlighted in “yellow” and submit with the draft grant agreement in June or July of the current year.  Local collision records must be used for base year data.

No, the same OTS proposal review criteria apply to GME.

QPRs (OTS-88) are due no later than 30 days after the end of each quarter or partial quarter that the grant is active (i.e., no later than January 30, April 30, July 30, and October 30, of each year of grant activity).

No, emailed QPRs are not accepted. Mail only one original QPR to OTS (no copies are necessary).

The final QPR is due no later than 30 days after the end of the grant.

The Executive Summary is due no later than 30 days after the end of the grant (attached to the final QPR).

No, not unless your OTS coordinator has instructed you to complete additional final report requirements as noted in the Grant Program Manual, Chapter 7.

A QPR (OTS-88) and reimbursement claim (OTS-39 and 39a) even if there was no activity or funds spent.  Both reports need to be submitted no later than 30 days after the quarter ends.

Effective October 1, 2007, OTS does not require a copy of sub-contracts or Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between your agency and your sub-contractor.  It is required that you keep a copy in the event of a Grantee Performance Review (GPR) or audit.

A formal written request and justification to carry over unexpended funds is due to OTS no later than October 31.  Contact your OTS Coordinator for more information.

Refer to Grant Program Manual, Chapter 3, Section 3.8 and contact your OTS Coordinator.

Yes, as part of the grant agreement, grantees are required to submit a completed “0” claim even though costs have not been incurred.

45 days after submittal of a correct claim.  If the claim is submitted incorrectly, this timeframe is extended.

The approved signatures on the Grant Agreement, Page 1 (OTS-38).  Even if someone in your agency has signature authority for one of the approved signatures, OTS needs an authorized signature on file in order to pay the claim.

The same address that is listed on the Grant Agreement, Page 1 (OTS-38), Section D.

No, if you make a mistake, line out, initial and correct.

When you purchase equipment and re-certify every 2 years until the equipment depreciates to $5,000 or less.  A final certification indicating that it has depreciated must be received by OTS.

The Avoid Anti-DUI Program was launched in 1973 to bring law enforcement agencies together in countywide clusters to crack down on the drinking driver and reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by alcohol related crashes.  Funding provided by OTS grants allows counties to add overtime hours to deploy officers in areas with high occurrences of DUI related traffic collisions and conduct public awareness media campaigns during the increased enforcement periods.

The overall goal of the awareness campaign is to let drivers know about the countywide increased enforcement periods and warn drivers that the only way to “Avoid” the county’s law enforcement officers is to drive sober.  Increased enforcement periods are planned during high traffic holiday periods such as the Memorial Day weekend, July 4th weekend, the NHTSA Summer/Labor Day Weekend Mobilization Campaign, and the NHTSA Winter (Christmas/New Year) Mobilization Campaign.  Additionally, funding is available for other special operations such as Super Bowl Sunday, St Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Halloween or local festivals with identified DUI problems where media campaigns with heavy enforcement can reduce deaths and injuries caused by drunk drivers.

www.californiaavoid.org has been developed to promote the program and provide tools to aid law enforcement public information officers in coordinating media efforts to change behavior and promote education and awareness to the dangers of drunk driving.  You can contact an OTS Avoid Grant Coordinator.

Avoid Web site www.californiaavoid.org for a list of participating agencies or contact an OTS Avoid Grant Coordinator.

The Avoid Campaigns are OTS’s number one priority and by dropping out of the program your agency may not be considered for future funding for other OTS grants.

You need to follow your city’s policies and procedures when entering into agreements that exchanges funds for services.  All three mechanisms are acceptable if they are following your agencies directives.

Yes, OTS currently is funding multi-agency DUI operations under the Avoid Campaign.  If you are not currently partnered with the Avoid Task Force, then go to www.californiaavoid.org for contacts in your county to participate.