States can now skip public meetings for federal highway safety grants

The US Department of Transportation is proposing to make it easier for states to get federal highway safety grants. States would no longer have to hold public meetings or get public input on their grant applications.

For decades, federal grants for state highway safety programs required public input. This meant states had to show they had listened to their residents about local safety priorities. The proposed change removes this requirement, making it faster for states to apply for and receive funds, but also removing a key point of public accountability.