Speeding kills. Long Islanders need to slow down.

Be honest: What do you consider speeding on Long Island's roads?

Most LI drivers don't think going a few miles per hour over the posted speed limit counts as speeding. They gas it without much thought of the danger to themselves and others on the road. It's a mindset that endangers lives.

Drivers adjust their perception of what speeding is rather than adjusting their speed. If they're not the fastest car on the highway, then they're not really speeding. If all traffic is going 10 mph over the limit, drivers rationalize that they are just keeping up with the flow. After all, this thinking goes, wouldn't it be more dangerous to drive the speed limit and cause other cars to slow down?

Speeding, however, is incredibly dangerous, and doesn't even shave significant time off a trip, according to numerous studies.

Speed termed 'most critical'

The World Bank Group says speed is the "most critical risk factor in road crashes." According to the National Safety Council, speeding was responsible for 29% of all traffic fatalities in 2020. And according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3 out of every 4 drivers admit to speeding regularly.

So, speeding not only fails to save much time, it also drastically increases the risk and severity of crashes.

On Long Island in 2024, speed was a factor in more than one-third of fatal crashes, killing 65 people, according to Newsday's Dangerous Roads series. Speed-related fatalities statewide rose 32% from 2019-2024.

Speeding even a few miles per hour over the posted limit can cause a chain reaction of peril. It increases the risk of losing control of a vehicle; makes safety equipment like seat belts less effective; demands a greater distance to stop and causes more severe crashes. When a person speeds, their field of vision narrows. Speeding amplifies risks on local roads and highways. Speeders tend to zigzag around slower cars, fail to signal turns, and engage in aggressive behavior.

Traffic engineers have relied on the 85th percentile for more than 50 years when determining a road's speed limit. The concept is the maximum speed that 85% of all drivers on a road won't exceed. Critics say it lets drivers dictate the speed limit of a road.

On Long Island, stretches of highways and parkways show 85th percentile speeds well above the posted speed limit, according to data from the New York State Department of Transportation's online Traffic Data Viewer. A stretch of the Long Island Expressway from Wicks Road to the Sagtikos State Parkway has an 85th percentile speed of 70 mph. A section of Nicolls Road has an 85th percentile speed of 69. And one stretch of the Southern State Parkway near Central Islip has an 85th percentile speed of 75 mph.

If 85% of all drivers let themselves go as fast as 75 mph, where is the effective enforcement to reduce the speed?

Suffolk County law enforcement has been ticketing more aggressively since 2025 but still lags behind Nassau and the rest of the state in the rate at which it issues safety-related offenses like racing. Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina told Newsday's news division a 30% increase in the size of the county's Highway Patrol unit has led to more tickets and improved safety.

Cameras a cheaper option

Speed cameras are cheaper than on-duty police officers. The fines are lower, though civil libertarians still fret about privacy intrusions and government surveillance. Concerns about surveillance should always be top of mind.

But not all speed camera programs are the same.

The state's Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement Program slaps a $50 fine on first-time violators. The state's website says nothing about tickets being issued for going over the speed limit by a certain amount. In New York City, however, tickets are issued to drivers who exceed the speed limit by 11 mph or more.

The disparity is likely due to municipalities not wanting to have speeding tickets challenged in court, which can be a costly nuisance.

Illegally speeding is a choice. Enforcement must be increased and fines must be costlier to force a change in behavior. Starting next month the Department of Motor Vehicles will toughen its license point system, making it easier to suspend or revoke driving privileges for racing or speeding in a work zone. Gov. Kathy Hochul's "Stop Super Speeders" initiative — which would require speed-limiting devices to be installed in the vehicles of drivers with excessive speeding tickets — is a good step for stopping the most extreme speeders. But if 3 out of 4 drivers readily admit to speeding frequently, more must be done. Speed limit signs don't make roads safe. The money collected from increased fines can be used to improve driver education programs.

Few Long Islanders would support reducing the speed limit on major roads below 55 mph. That likely wouldn't work anyway.

The time has come to stop treating speeding like a minor transgression. We must change our driving habits by leaving a few minutes early to get someplace safely. And then we can honestly answer if we speed or not.