Dangerous Roads newsletter: Lost years of life and shared experiences

Among the many troubling statistics in Newsday’s story from March launching its Dangerous Roads series, one has stayed with me more than the rest.

“One way that public health specialists think about the impact is by calculating ‘potential years of life lost,’ assuming an average life span of 75 years. By that metric, Long Island lost at least 5,800 years of life just in 2023,” reporters Peter Gill and Arielle Martinez wrote.

Unlike other figures that look back on the lives lost in the wake of car crashes, this chilling metric looks ahead — to the years of life yet to be lived. It not only encompasses the heartbreak that comes with remembering those lost in car wrecks, but also imagining how many more memories were left to create.

I thought about this statistic when I read the story of Margaret and Walter Jakubowski. The Ronkonkoma couple had been married 54 years when their white Subaru Forester, driven by Walter, veered off the road on Peconic Street and slammed into a tree last month.  The Jakubowskis were both killed.

As Margaret was 75 and Walter 83, the actuarial tables might tell you that the “potential years of life lost” were relatively minimal. But a life built together is more than the sum of its parts.

As Newsday reporters John Valenti and John Asbury captured, even after more than a half-century, the marriage of “Butch” and Margaret appeared to be a very full one.

The couple, who met while skiing, had just returned from a trip to Ireland to spend time with family — something they always cherished doing. Their daughter, Dorene Gallup, said the devoted grandparents never missed a school event or birthday party.

But, I’d bet some of their most precious moments together were spent on the journey, and not at the destination. Those quiet drives when — road conditions permitting — a hand may come off the steering wheel for a few seconds to clasp that of the passenger's.

With our kids a little older and more independent now, my wife and I have been enjoying more “couple time” than we have in our 30 years together, and much of that has been in the front seat of our cars.

My favorite memory of this summer may be our Memorial Day weekend road trip to Cleveland to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. For all the cool sites we saw and great food we ate, I think what I’ll remember most was the trip itself. Just me, my lady, and an audiobook for a blissful nine-plus hours, each way. Neither of us was in any rush to get where we were going.

In a death notice for the couple, the Jakubowskis’ family wrote: “Though we grieve their loss, we take comfort in knowing that they are together again, as they always were.”

I, too, would love nothing more than for me and my wife to be at each other’s sides when we leave this mortal coil. But, I hope there are many, many more miles ahead in our road trips together. And I bet Walter and Margaret hoped for the same.

Readers speak up

Some of Long Island's most horrific car crashes have come when a motorist enters a major roadway going in the wrong direction. This reader has some suggestions on how to stop wrong-way crashes from happening.

Do Not Enter signs will not dissuade a person driving under the influence, an inexperienced driver, or driver confused for any other reason. Tire strips should be installed to accompany Do Not Enter signs. Drivers proceeding in the wrong direction at these points will suffer the consequence of having their vehicle’s tires cut. This will prevent vehicles from continuing in the wrong direction and save lives. Seems like a common sense solution!

Lynn Walsh, Oceanside

Do you have other ideas on how to prevent wrong-way crashes? Share them with us at roads@newsday.com.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.