Section 405(b) occupant protection grant (23 C.F.R. § 1300.21; 23 U.S.C. § 405(b)) ― grant to support certain costs of state occupant protection programs consistent with 23 C.F.R. § 1300.21(f)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded the Minnesota Department of Public Safety $985,572.23 on October 1, 2025, under the National Priority Safety Programs formula grant (CFDA 20.616), specifically the Section 405(b) Occupant Protection Grant component. The award supports the state's occupant protection program consistent with 23 C.F.R. 1300.21(f), including countermeasure strategies and planned projects designed to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities resulting from motor vehicle crashes. The funding is apportioned to Minnesota based on a statutory formula, reflecting the state's meeting of statutory eligibility requirements for seat belt use categories.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety, through its Fiscal and Administrative Services Division, receives the award as the state administering agency and fiscal agent. The award will be obligated over the period of October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2029, with place of performance in St. Paul, Minnesota. The recipient bases its grant application and programming on an approved triennial highway safety plan that details problem identification, public participation and engagement, performance measures, and countermeasure strategies. Federal share reimbursement occurs on claims submitted in vouchers covering incurred costs, with participants using Electronic Transfer of Funds.

Section 405(b) funding is available to qualifying states that meet statutory requirements for a high or low seat belt use categories. These funds are apportioned using statutory apportionment formula. These funds are provided to the state and territorial highway safety offices based on an approved triennial highway safety plan that details problem identification, public participation and engagement, performance measures, countermeasure strategies for programming funds and an approved annual grant application that details planned projects using identified countermeasure strategies for programming funds to help reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities resulting from motor vehicle crashes.