GA Dept of Driver Services (DDS) receives $375K in grants for highway safety efforts

ATLANTA, GA— Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) Commissioner Spencer R. Moore has announced the receipt of two grant awards totaling over $357K from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) to enhance highway safety efforts in Georgia.

One grant will allow DDS to add a new Traffic Data Analyst position and the second grant helps to support and maintain the State of Georgia Electronic Conviction Processing System (GECPS).

“We appreciate the support from GOHS that allows DDS to embrace innovation ensuring an increase in highway safety and a brighter journey for all,” Commissioner Moore said. “Utilizing a Traffic Data Analyst will allow us to transform raw data into informed decisions.  In recent years, the GECPS program has undergone a massive modernization process, largely due to funding awarded through GOHS. This has contributed to improving the 83.08% citation acceptance rate in 2013 to having a current acceptance rate well over 97 percent.”

Traffic Data Analyst Grant

This grant award of  $116,943.88 will be used to fund a Traffic Data Analyst dedicated to the analysis and interpretation of population-based statistics to identify problems, recommend solutions, and prepare responses for program development and implementation dedicated to highway safety and, ultimately, to reducing the number of injuries and deaths on our roadways.

Georgia Electronic Conviction Processing System (GECPS)

A $240,487.00 award continues to fund the GECPS outreach Program Manager, a web developer for program upgrades, and an auditor, who will work with courts to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the data submission process. GECPS provides a secure, electronic transmission of conviction data from Georgia courts to meet a Federally mandated timeframe for posting convictions to individual driving records within ten days of adjudication. GECPS requires Georgia’s more than 900 courts to submit convictions in a standard format, and then correct and resubmit any convictions containing errors.

“The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is working with all of our highway safety partners to reverse the increase in traffic deaths we have seen in the United States in the last two years and the goal of this project is to prevent crashes and save lives on our roads,” Allen Poole, GOHS Director said.  “We ask everyone to join the mission of saving lives on our roads by driving the speed limit, wearing your seat belt, staying off the phone when driving, and never driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”

Visit www.dds.georgia.gov for compete licensing and testing.