Editorial: Stay sober, stay alert, stay alive 

Another summer weekend on the North Fork, another fatal car crash. This sad and all-to-familiar refrain played out again Friday on Main Road in Aquebogue, just east of Union Avenue, where a 2018 BMW collided head-on with a 2002 Nissan, killing its driver, 67-year-old Mathew Schramm of Huntington Station. The cause remains under investigation, but there is no doubt that motor vehicle fatalities are on the rise across the state — and Long Island, sadly, is ahead of the curve.

A June 27 report from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli showed a total of 1,175 fatal accidents statewide in 2022, the highest level in a decade and a nearly 26% increase from 2019. Suffolk County accounted for 164 of those deaths, and also topped the state in the number of fatal crashes involving speeding, passengers not wearing seat belts and impaired or distracted drivers. As the state report notes, this reverses a pattern showing traffic deaths in steady decline for nearly a decade and comes despite ongoing vehicle safety enhancements such as air bags, side and rear view cameras and lane change alerts.

But even as cars are getting safer, divers are becoming more dangerous. “The recent increase in fatal crashes and fatalities has been attributed to increased risks taken by drivers,” the June report states. This unfortunate trend began during COVID- 19, with researchers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluding that with fewer cars on the road, remaining motorists “engaged in riskier behavior, including speeding, failure to wear seat belts and driving under the influence.”

Specific official data on local fatalities is harder to pin down, and this newspaper has submitted still-pending Freedom of Information Law requests to local officials in an effort to learn more. But the anecdotal evidence is chilling. Before Friday’s crash, at least seven motor vehicle related deaths have occurred — on Route 25 alone — since February 2023, when four people were killed in a fiery head-on collision in East Marion. The recent deaths also call to mind the horrific 2015 limo crash on Route 48 in Cutchogue that took four young lives. Families of those victims have been advocating for lower maximum blood alcohol levels for DUI offenses, and we support their efforts.

Meanwhile, in 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation launched a National Roadway Safety Strategy that has been adopted by several states, including New York. It’s goals are both vital and remarkably simple.

• Safer People: Encourage safe, responsible behavior by drivers and create conditions that prioritize their ability to reach their destination unharmed.

• Safer Roads: Design roadway environments to mitigate human mistakes and account for injury tolerances to facilitate safe travel by the most vulnerable users.

• Safer Vehicles: Expand the availability of vehicle systems that help to prevent crashes and minimize the impact of crashes on both occupants and non-occupants.

• Safer Speeds: Promote safer speeds in all roadways through a combination of thoughtful roadway designs, targeted education and outreach campaigns and enforcement.

Keep these goals in mind when you’re on the road. It’s high time for all of us to do our part.