Three leading road safety organizations have launched a new initiative to award one or more grants in 2020 to state agencies that develop and implement a speed-management pilot program.

The Governors Highway Safety Association, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the National Road Safety Foundation are leading the program.

State organizations will be eligible to compete for the grant by proposing an interdisciplinary, community-based program that combines proven and innovative countermeasures in a range of areas such as engineering, high-visibility enforcement, communications, advocacy, and policy.

The goal of the program is to more effectively target the problem of speeding and change the prevalent culture around this dangerous driving behavior.

IIHS experts will evaluate the pilot program with the goal of identifying a model that can serve as a national template.

Speeding remains a significant roadway hazard across the nation. Nearly 800 people lose their lives in speed-related crashes every month.

In 2018, more than 9,000 fataltiies — 26% of all crash deaths — were speed-related.