Clamp down on reckless driving

I just hit a major milestone. I turned 17 and passed my road test. So much of what I anticipated has rung true: I love being able to drive my friends around, having much more independence, and not fighting with my mom in the car about who gets to choose the music.

I’ve also become keenly aware of just how prevalent speeding and reckless driving are. It’s quite possible that I notice this more than my peers because, four years ago, a reckless driver killed my 43-year-old stepfather, Oren Bennaeim, as he was walking to the Great Neck train station. The driver fled the scene and was never caught.

My stepdad had been a paratrooper in the Israeli army. He was 6-foot-1, healthy and athletic. How is it that someone carelessly speeding through a red light could instantly take the life of someone who seemed so invincible?

I understand that we live in a fast-paced society that encourages people to rush everywhere. But the cost of reckless driving is unacceptably high.

On average, three New Yorkers like my stepfather die every day in traffic crashes. In 2019, 931 people were killed in crashes in New York State. Crashes impact drivers, passengers, people walking and biking, children, adults and seniors from every community. They are the leading cause of injury-related death and second-leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations in New York State.

And, according to a new Newsday report, few drivers involved in crashes that kill pedestrians and bicyclists face criminal charges.

How can we consider ourselves a compassionate and caring society if we do not take action?

According to the state Department of Health, traffic deaths and injuries are a major, preventable public health problem. There are several straightforward changes the New York State Legislature can implement right now to save lives. The Crash Victim Rights & Safety Act, a package of eight lifesaving bills, will curtail speeding, hold reckless drivers accountable, better educate new drivers, and support those personally impacted by crashes.

It’s easy to talk about car crashes as numbers and statistics, but they’re not. Each number is a person who is senselessly killed. A person like my stepdad who never got to say goodbye to his wife and 13-year-old stepson, who missed the football game he was supposed to attend that afternoon, and all the future ballgames, holidays and birthday celebrations we would have shared.

Please join me in urging our legislators to support the Crash Victim Rights & Safety Act this year so other families don’t have to miss their loved ones every day like I miss my stepdad.

Tristan Atreides is a junior at Great Neck South High School.