March 19, 2026 in Washington D.C.
The 2026 National Safety Summit brings together attendees from the US DOT, state and local government officials, industry leaders, thought leaders from the non-profit sector and academic researchers, to advance life-saving transportation technologies, influence safety policies and promote national safety priorities.
Hosted by Safety21, the U.S. DOT National UTC for Promoting Safety, the Summit will highlight recent innovations, technological progress and policy-relevant pathways that aim at improving the safety of our roadways and railways. Particular emphasis will be placed on enabling the adoption of autonomous vehicles (AVs), connected infrastructure, and the deployment of technology corridors that enable the safe movement of people and goods spanning trucking, rail, transit, private vehicles, and robotaxis. Throughout the program, speakers will address improving the safety outcomes for vulnerable road users (VRUs) ensuring innovation nationwide and informing decision-makers shaping the future of transportation safety.
The Summit is held in close collaboration with the UTCs advancing transportation safety nationwide including:
Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT), Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety (CPBS), Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC), New England Regional UTC (NEUTC), Research and Education for Promoting Safety (REPS), and University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS)
Agenda
8:15 AM Doors Open, Check-In, and Breakfast
8:40 AM Welcome & Remarks from U.S. DOT OST-R
- Firas Ibrahim—Director, Office of Research, Development and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation
8:45 AM Keynote
9:00 AM Pre-Recorded Remarks
- Representative Monica De La Cruz (TX-15)
9:05 AM Welcome & Summit Framing: Innovating for Safety
Dr. Rajkumar will be joined briefly by Principal Investigators from collaborating safety-focused UTCs to highlight their innovative advanced technology research to promote transportation safety.
- Raj Rajkumar—Director, Safety21 U.S. DOT National University Transportation Center
9:30 AM Keynote: U.S. Leadership in Safe and Autonomous Transportation
The keynote will discuss the current moment for U.S. leadership in transportation safety and innovation that is ushering an American Golden Age in transportation.
- Seval Oz—Senior Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation
10:00 AM Break
10:15 AM Panel 1: Safe Autonomous Transportation Deployment — From Pilots to Corridors
This panel explores how automated technology deployments can improve roadway safety while enabling future automation across modes. Discussion will focus on real-world pilots, shared test environments, and technology corridors to support safe deployment and widespread adoption of AVs for personal vehicles, shared rides, commercial trucking, and public transit operations, as well as coordination with rail and grade-crossing safety systems. Panelists will highlight policy-relevant lessons learned, data needs, and workforce readiness considerations for federal and state decision-makers.
- Moderator: Tim Drake—Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs, ITS America
- Valerie Briggs—Director, Office of Transportation Management, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
- Jeff Farrah—Chief Executive Officer, AVIA
- Varun Jain—Counsel, Public Policy and Law Practice, K&L Gates
- Mark Patterson—Associate Administrator, Office of Research, Data, and Innovation, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
- Greg Regan—President, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
11:15 AM Panel 2: State and Other Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Transportation Safety and Deployment
Transportation leaders from government agencies and other organizations discuss current and future initiatives to keep Americans safe across modes. Panelists will focus on implementation and deployment considerations for roadway, transit, freight, and rail safety, including infrastructure readiness, intergovernmental coordination, protection of vulnerable road users, and the public-sector role in enabling advanced and autonomous transportation technologies, pilots, and technology corridors.
- Moderator: Ben Siegrist—Director of Public Liaison and Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Transportation
- Jack Clark—Executive Director, Transportation Learning Center
- Derrick Herrmann—Chief, Transformational Technology, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
- Andrew Woelfling—Vice President of Government Affairs, Stack AV
- David Yang—President and Executive Director, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
12:15 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Fireside Chat
U.S. DOT leadership will highlight how strategic federal initiatives and programs can accelerate safe AV adoption to strengthen supply chains, catalyze innovation, and maintain U.S. competitiveness in emerging transportation technologies. They will showcase the scope of U.S. DOT efforts that support these goals and discuss opportunities for collaboration to advance transportation safety and technological leadership nationwide.
- Moderator: Karen Lightman—Executive Director, Safety21 U.S. DOT National University Transportation Center
- Michael Rutherford—Assistant Secretary of the Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation
- Loren Smith—Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation
- Lee White—Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation
1:30 PM Panel 3: Unleashing Life-Saving Technologies to Reduce Road Fatalities
As roadway automation advances, this panel will examine what must happen now to improve safety while preparing for a future in which automated vehicles operate alongside human drivers for decades to come. Emerging technologies such as AI-based perception, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), connected infrastructure such as AV technology corridors, autonomous vehicles, and safety analytics are complementary tools that can work together to reduce fatalities. Panelists will highlight what is delivering measurable safety benefits today in passenger vehicles and commercial trucking fleets, while addressing the long timelines required for new technologies to penetrate the vehicle market. The discussion will focus on high-risk environments such as work zones, intersections, poor weather, and dense urban corridors with vulnerable road users, and connect technology deployment with the policy, investment, and regulatory decisions needed to manage a mixed-fleet environment and accelerate near- and long-term safety gains.
- Moderator: Lorraine Martin—Chief Executive Officer, National Safety Council
- Brian Cronin—Director of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office, U.S. Department of Transportation
- Christian John—President, Tier IV North America
- Melissa Wade—Senior Director – Government Relations, Aurora
- Stefania Yanachkov—Senior Manager, Federal Policy and Government Affairs, Waymo
2:15 PM Break
2:30 PM Panel 4: Advancing Transportation Safety Through the UTC Network
Leaders from Safety21 and collaborating safety-focused UTCs highlight how the UTC network supports U.S. DOT and Congressional transportation safety priorities across modes including highway, freight, rail, transit, and vulnerable road user (VRU) safety using advanced technology to game change transportation.
- Moderator: Michael Halem—Acting Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation
- Michael Knodler—Director, New England Regional UTC (NEUTC), University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Henry Liu—Director, Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT), University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
- Claudia Marin—Director, Research and Education for Promoting Safety (REPS), Howard University
- Raj Rajkumar—Director, Safety21 U.S. DOT National University Transportation Center, Carnegie Mellon University
- Constantine Tarawneh—Director, UTC for Railway Safety (UTCRS), University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
3:30 PM Next Steps & Summit Synthesis: Informing Innovation, Policy and Deployment
- Raj Rajkumar—Director, Safety21 U.S. DOT National University Transportation Center
3:45 PM Technology & Research Showcase and Networking Reception
5:00 PM Adjourn
Click here to view a list of registered attendees.
