**GAO-09-495**                      Published: May 12, 2009. Publicly Released: May 12, 2009.                  

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## Highlights

To reduce the number of crashes involving commercial motor carriers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) within the Department of Transportation orders unsafe carriers out of service. To help keep these carriers off the road, FMCSA's voluntary Performance and Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM) grant program, a small program funded at $5 million per year, helps states establish information systems connections between state vehicle registration and FMCSA's safety databases. These connections provide states with up-to-date information on carriers' safety status when carriers try to register or renew registrations with the state. For states to deny, suspend, or revoke registrations to out-of service carriers, states must pass legislation enabling them to do so. As directed by a congressional committee, GAO examined (1) PRISM's effectiveness and (2) the potential to fully implement the program nationally. GAO reviewed FMCSA data and discussed PRISM with a wide variety of federal, state, industry, and safety stakeholders

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## Topics

Transportation

Accident preventionCommercial motor vehicle operatorsData collectionData integrityFederal regulationsGrant administrationGrants to statesGround transportationIndustrial safetyInformation systemsInternal controlsInterstate commerceMotor carriersMotor vehicle safetyMotor vehiclesProgram evaluationProgram managementState legislationState-administered programsTraffic accidentsTraffic violationsTransportation safetyFederal and state relations