Letter: Lives lost along Long Island's roads
At least one person was taken to a hospital with unknown injuries in a serious car accident Tuesday morning that closed Pinelawn Road in Melville, Suffolk County police said. The accident, at the intersection of Pinelawn Road and Route 110, happened at 8:50 a.m. (June 26, 2012) Credit: Peter Walden Sr.
I am horrified by the number of accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians that occur not only on Route 110 but also all over Nassau and Suffolk counties ["Cyclist killed in car accident," News, Oct. 21]. It's not uncommon to see a story each week about a driver striking a cyclist or a pedestrian.
Many streets on Long Island lack lanes for bicyclists and runners, which increases the chances of fatalities, especially on major streets such as Route 110. On July 13, 2011, Newsday reported that "the bicycle crash death rate on Long Island far exceeds that of New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut." It seems that not much has changed.
Some accidents result from inexperienced or irresponsible teens driving, while others occur because of the negligence of an adult. However, it's easy to blame the driver; the bicyclist can be at fault as well.
When I was younger, I lost a teacher I really cared for to an accident. She was running alongside a road where there should have been more done to make pedestrians and motorists aware of each other. People should not lose their lives over an inability to share the road.
Totianyu Guadalupe, Deer Park
