DC made the news all over the world last Saturday, but this time for a local tragedy. A woman drove 70mph into a crowd of people, injuring 35, including young children. I have been addressing pedestrian safety issues on this blog for a while now, discussing dangerous intersections, enforcement, and ways to protect our residents. Unfortunately, the tragedy at Unifest has highlighted this problem once again. But this time, it has nothing to do with traffic lights, speed bumps or stop signs.

It seems that we are never entirely safe. No matter how much we work at it, tragedies can never be prevented entirely. What happened yesterday reminded me of the elderly man that killed 7 people with his car at a farmers market in Santa Monica, California. Bad things just happen every now and then, and we need to use these events to appreciate the value of human life and to cherish those closest to us.

How can we prevent future tragedies such as what happened at Unifest? Is it better safety barriers? Is it pedestrian vigilance? Is it better mental health care for those that may commit such acts? I would really like to hear ideas from readers today, because I think it’s important for us to share our thoughts on this issue. We all go to street festivals in this city and get cheap blink 182 tickets , and as summer begins, let’s think about how we can make them safer.