CNMI Highway Safety Programs
Mission Statement:
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Department of Public Safety Highway Safety Office’s mission is to identify traffic safety problems and develop and implement traffic safety programs and continuous public education designed to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on the highways through partnership with other safety advocates, government agencies, community leaders, and private sectors.
About Us:
The (CNMI) Department of Public Safety (DPS) is a recipient of several federal funds geared towards public safety. One of them is the Highway Safety Program funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under the authority of the Highway Safety Act of 1966.
The NHTSA grant funds and programs are managed by the DPS Highway Safety Office (HSO).
The HSO provides leadership for the CNMI Department of Public Safety’s highway safety programs. HSO develops the Highway Safety Plan (HSP) for Section 402 focusing on drugged and drunk driving prevention, emergency medical services, police traffic services, occupant protection/child restraint, motorcycle safety, pedestrian & bicycle safety, distracted driving prevention and other highway safety related issues. Included in the HSP are the 405b Occupant Protection and the 405c Traffic Safety Information System Improvement plans which are grant funds awarded to address selected national priorities for reducing highway deaths and injuries.
HSO conducts assessments and develops plans relating to motorist safety to include: driving under the influence of alcohol & drugs (DUI/DUID), aggressive driver interdiction program (ADIP), selective traffic law enforcement (STLE), occupant protection/child restraint, traffic investigation enhancements, highway-related crimes occurring on the CNMI highways; and supports the department’s police traffic services. HSO along with the NHTSA regional office realizes that personnel training is very important and crucial in keeping current with national level on various programs, and more importantly on the performance of each officer when they are out in the field, while conducting public education or other activities related to the programs. Various trainings are offered both on and off island to ensure that the officers are equipped with proper knowledge and current practices.
Annual mobilizations/campaigns:
- Occupant Protection/Child Restraint
- - Click-It-Or-Ticket Day & Night
- - Buckle Up, Every Trip… Every Time…
- - Four (4) Steps for Kids
- Impaired Driving (Alcohol and Drugs)
- - Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
- - Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
- - Friends Don’t’ Let Friends Drive Drunk
- - If You Feel Different, You Drive Different
- - Drive High - Get A DUI
- Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
- - Share the Road
- - Everyone Is a Pedestrian
- Speed Enforcement
- - Stop Speeding Before It Stops You
In addition, HSO offers the Child Restraint Purchase Assistance Program which was created to extend assistance on the purchase of child restraint devices (car seats) to ensure children’s safety in the vehicles. The HSO issues vouchers to qualifying households for purchase of car seats at discounted price from participating vendors on island. For more information on the Child Restraint Purchase Assistance Program or any other HSO programs and services, please call the DPS Highway Safety Office at: 670-664-9121/22/25/31/9140. You can download forms from here.
The following services are also offered:
- Assistance on the selection and installation of child restraint systems
- Provide information on car seat recalls and/or expired car seats
- Loaner program
   
|