Dangerous Roads newsletter: 'Man bites driver' shouldn't be normalized

We're just over a week away from Newsday's next Dangerous Roads live town hall event, taking place on Dec. 10, at our Melville studios. I'll be moderating a panel of experts as we discuss potential solutions for making Long Island's roads safer. We've already gotten some great questions and suggestions from readers who have registered to attend. Get your free tickets and be part of the conversation.

It was in Professor Lois Bianchi’s introduction to journalism class at Queens College when I learned the lesson of "Man Bites Dog." Arranged in that order, those three words are news, whereas no one would pay attention to the ho-hum "Dog Bites Man."

How about: "Huntington Man Bites, Slashes Driver With Box Cutter?"

That’s the headline that accompanied a Newsday social media post about an apparent road-rage incident in Huntington on Nov. 18. Police say Jayson Heitner, 26, was driving north on West Neck Road when he tried to get around a van ahead of him. The two vehicles collided, and Heitner responded by approaching the unnamed van driver with a box cutter.

The van driver ended up with lacerations to his face and body, as well as bite wounds to multiple fingers, police said. Heitner ended up in a courtroom, pleading not guilty to second-degree assault charges.

While that headline caught my attention, I worry many other readers will file it away with "Dog Bites Man" as an unfortunate, but not uncommon occurrence.

In a recent nationwide study by AAA, 96% of drivers surveyed admitted driving aggressively. While many reported fairly typical behavior, like speeding through yellow lights or using the slow right lane to pass another vehicle, 11% said they had resorted to more violent actions, like intentionally bumping a car or confronting another driver.

Just last week, I was outside my house adjusting my kids’ basketball hoop when I witnessed a driver at a nearby intersection standing at the window of another vehicle, shouting, "I have an appointment!" along with assorted expletives.

The same exchange between two people in almost any other setting, would have been far more upsetting. But, taking place near a notoriously cramped shopping center parking lot and a traffic light that can take forever to change, I quickly dismissed it as about as noteworthy as a dog bite.

But this kind of behavior shouldn’t be normalized, even if we’ve all been there. I like to think of myself as a pretty Zen dude, but when I was recently cut off at that same intersection near my house with my wife and kids in the car, I was briefly tempted to chase after the perpetrator, before coming to my senses. How could that possibly have ended well? 

With most arguments these days being fought over social media, it’s easy to forget that real-life confrontations can come with real-life consequences, like bite marks, or worse.

So feel free to pound your steering wheel, let out some four-letter words, and wish for some cosmic comeuppance for the guy who cut you off. But, for your own good, keep your windows up and your doors closed. And keep it moving.

Readers speak up

Last week, I expressed my gratitude for Long Islanders who push through their grief to share stories of losing loved ones in crashes, with the hope of preventing similar tragedies in the future. This week's reader email is an example of that kind of bravery.

Thank you Alfonso for taking the time to show not only how dangerous Long Island roads are, but how dangerous Long Islanders are driving on them. My son Dean was killed at the age of 23 by a hit-and-run driver. ... It has devastated our family as you can only imagine. I feel we can only make our roads safer by educating our drivers. We also need more lighting, more crosswalks, and more traffic lights, even though that’s not what Long Island wants because of traffic. ... Thank you, again, for making other Long Islanders aware of what’s happening on the roads.

Ruth Arnum, Middle Island

We deeply appreciate Ruth sharing her story. If you want to share yours, email 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.