Safety Incentive Grants for Use of Seat Belts-Allocations Based on State Seat Belt Use Rates

This final rule adopts, without change, the regulations that were published in an interim final rule to implement a new grant program established by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), and codified at section 157 of Title 23, United States Code. The final rule establishes procedures for allocating Federal grant funds to States whose seat belt use rates meet certain requirements. Under the statute, funds are to be allocated to States whose seat belt use rates exceed either the national average seat belt use rate or the State's highest-achieved seat belt use rate during certain years. Allocations are to be based on savings in medical costs to the Federal Government resulting from these seat belt use rates. The procedures in this final rule implement these statutory requirements.