Long Island Rep. Laura Gillen is urging the House Commission on Transport and Infrastructure to hold an emergency hearing on a nationwide “surge” in fatal car accidents.
“We were unable to secure our roads, which cut the lives of thousands of people, torn families, leaving too many communities with terrible blanks,” Gillen wrote in a letter to the committee to take action.
The democratic lawmakers’ campaign comes afterwards Newsday investigation revealed Drivers on Long Island get involved in a serious accident every seven minutes. It killed more than 2,100 people and injured 16,000 people on the road between 2014 and 2023.
According to the CDC, car accidents are the leading cause of accidental deaths of young people under the age of 20 on Long Island, and the second leading cause for all Long Islanders under the age of 80.
But the tragedy goes beyond her district, Gillen said she has declared it a “national crisis.”
“The fatal surge in car accidents over the past decade calls for our prompt federal attention and intervention,” Gillen wrote to the House Standing Committee.
“This is not just a local issue. It’s a national crisis.”
New York State Senators pointed out that automobile deaths have risen sharply across the country over the past decade. From the 15,035 deaths in the first half of 2014, 25% have reached 18,720 for the same period in 2024.
The surge is despite billions of federal funds aimed at improving road safety.
“We need to do more,” Gillen wrote.
This is the second letter Gillen has written since his Newsday investigation.
In March, she wrote to Transport Secretary Shawn Duffy, calling for federal research and policy recommendations to inform future transportation laws.
“I will provide the U.S. Department of Transport with an immediate investigation into this deadly surge and outline a plan of action to prevent more tragedy,” she wrote to Duffy, describing the crisis as “distrust” and “unacceptable.”
Experts say some factors are behind an increase in road deaths and injuries, including impaired driving and distracted driving, limited access to public transport and lack of protected bike lanes.
However, while the federal government provides funding and setting standards, most of Long Island roads are maintained by state and local governments.
The New York State Department of Transport oversees just one-tenth of the island’s lane mile, with the rest falling to counties, towns, villages and cities.
Currently, Congress is working on the next round of federal highway funding, and Gillen said there is now a moment of action to replace the bipartisan infrastructure law that is due to expire in 2026.
Under current Infrastructure Act, New York is expected to receive approximately $13.5 billion in federal highway funds over five years. Gillen says it must match stronger surveillance and national strategy to reverse the fatal trend.
