State wins grants for traffic programs

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau has won nearly one million dollars in federal grants to continue three programs. Spokesman Bob Thompson says a grant of over 600-thousand dollars will fund efforts to fight drunk and impaired drivers.Thompson says the grant money is handed out to individual law enforcement agencies, and there is no local dollar match.Thompson says another grant funds efforts to educate Iowans about using child safety seats. The usage of the seats is good, up to 91-percent for very young children. He says the big problem is getting people to use the seats properly. Thompson says studies show as many as 90-percent of infant seats are improperly used.Thompson says the third grant will fund efforts to improve traffic records and highway information systems. That grant is for just over 40-thousand dollars.