Council accepts New Hampshire highway safety grant for traffic enforcement

The Bedford Town Council on June 25 voted unanimously to accept a New Hampshire Department of Safety Highway Safety Grant to support traffic‑safety enforcement campaigns and equipment.

Town Manager Rick Sawyer explained the grant is an annual award used for impaired driving campaigns, speed enforcement, distracted‑driving patrols, occupant protection (including child passenger safety), and traffic‑safety equipment purchases such as radar units and message boards. Sawyer said in prior years the town had budgeted for this revenue and that state procedures now require explicit council authorization to accept the grant.

Councilor Becky Soule asked whether seat‑belt enforcement language in the grant was applicable in New Hampshire, and staff clarified that occupant‑protection efforts in the grant focus on drivers and passengers up to age 18 (New Hampshire’s primary child passenger restraint law and occupant‑protection programs). The council motion to accept the grant authorized the town manager and police chief to sign any necessary documents.

The motion passed 7‑0. Staff noted an exhibit attached to the grant provides further scope of work and specifies outreach and enforcement activity near locations frequented by persons under 18 when occupant‑protection efforts are funded.

Why it matters: The grant provides reimbursable funding for enforcement campaigns and equipment purchases that support local traffic‑safety priorities and help offset police department operating costs for time‑limited campaigns.