Auto glass technicians and government traffic organizations share the same safety goal: keeping drivers alive and safe. The Washington, D.C. Highway Safety Office (HSO) intends to eliminate deaths and severe injuries completely by adopting the nationwide Vision Zero project.
The D.C. HSO held its first annual 2025 Mobility Safety Summit on May 22. Transportation and mobility safety professionals from D.C. and nearby areas gathered at the Kellogg Conference Hotel on the Gallaudet University campus. The group, including government officials, insurance agents and law enforcement, discussed how to promote Vision Zero through public relations, safety logistics and community partnerships.
The D.C. Highway Safety Office held its first annual Mobility Safety Summit on May 22, 2025.
Carlos Heraud, the Metropolitan Police Department’s assistant chief for the Homeland Security Bureau, set the tone of the conference with his opening remarks.
“I’m happy to report that we’re making progress,” he said, celebrating the work those in the room had done to lower crash casualty statistics. “…but we’re too far from zero.”
Between Jan. 1, 2025, and May 22, seven people in Washington, D.C., died in car accidents. Over 100 people were severely injured.
“Every life matters, and getting to Vision Zero isn’t a talking point, it’s a promise,” Heraud said.
Charlie Willson is the director of Vision Zero’s D.C. office. D.C. shares many issues with other major U.S. cities, he said.
“For example, intersections cause collisions and conflict everywhere,” Willson said.
Ben Feller, formerly the Chief White House Correspondent for The Associated Press, spoke about how to communicate clearly and effectively.
Car wrecks aren’t the only cause of traffic fatalities. Jawauna Greene, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Strategy of the Maryland Department of Transportation, shared her experience managing the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse during one of the summit’s breakout educational sessions.
Greene described just how devastating the collapse was for the community. She also emphasized its impact on multiple industries, especially the automotive industry.
“Baltimore is the number two route for importing cars and light trucks,” she said. When the bridge collapsed, it cut off that supply route.
Jawauna Greene, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Strategy of the Maryland Department of Transportation, was only on the job for six months when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse happened.
Prevention isn’t the only way to combat dangerous highway circumstances. Rick Birt, the Director of the D.C. HSO, told attendees that D.C. has cracked down on prosecuting aggressive drivers.
He also reminded attendees that they have to stand for safety in their personal lives.
“If I asked everyone in this room who has exceeded the speed limit to raise their hands, everyone would likely raise their hand,” he says. “We have to walk the walk if we’re going to talk the talk.”
Willson added that he’s seen a national trend where drivers are starting to take speeding as seriously as drunk driving.
“I’m very optimistic for the future,” he says.
The D.C. HSO armed attendees with the resources they needed to return to their jobs optimistic for the future, too.
