Make Long Island's roads safer by ticketing more drivers

Making Long Island’s roads safer is a complex and daunting task. One quick and relatively cheap solution is already here, but those who flout the rules won't like the answer — police need to issue more tickets.

We know bad driving is dangerous and illegal, yet we still do it. According to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released in September, 96% of drivers nationwide admitted to driving aggressively in the past year. Projected out, that means almost every driver has at some point run a red light or raced down a neighborhood road or weaved in and out of highway lanes at least once. Those behaviors include cutting off other drivers and tailgating, and other dangerous maneuvers that put lives in danger.

Newsday’s yearlong Dangerous Roads series recently detailed how few Long Island motorists are ticketed for moving violations. Long Island issues fewer tickets for driving offenses than other region in the state.

When numerous studies conclude that ticketing drivers for breaking vehicle and traffic laws improves safety, local efforts have to step up. 

Suffolk law enforcement issued more safety-related tickets in 2024 than any other year since 2017, according to Newsday — while Nassau wrote fewer tickets than it did in 2019. Myriad law enforcement agencies patrolling Long Island’s roads makes data analysis incomplete, but one thing is clear: While more tickets are being issued in some parts of Long Island, driving remains dangerous.

A report by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli stating that motor vehicles fatalities in the state rose more than 25% from 2019-22 adds urgency to the need to better police our roads. Long Island's fatality rate was 8.4 for every 100,000 people, above the statewide average, his report said. Another report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in April  that motor vehicle fatalities in the state declined 0.8% between 2023 and 2024, an encouraging dip with plenty of room for improvement.

Making roads safer is a goal shared by just about everyone. As Dangerous Roads has documented, solutions range from harsher penalties to redesigning roads to better educational instruction for new drivers. Combined, these efforts would make our roads safer. But they each require money and political willpower to enact, while increasing enforcement of existing laws can happen almost overnight. Redesigning roads like the Southern State Parkway, built for far fewer cars than it now uses, will cost billions and take years. Issuing more tickets costs far less and has immediate benefits. The goal isn't to raise revenue, it's to make the roads safe.

Each of us needs to self-police our own driving habits to avoid a ticket. Are we as safe as possible behind the wheel?

Driving is a privilege, not a right, and driving safely is an obligation. And for those who refuse to drive safely, getting a ticket instead of getting away with speeding will force them to learn a lesson through fines and more expensive insurance, hopefully before they injure themselves and others.