As school opens, a crash course in County Road 80

In the period from October 2024 to September 2025, 642 pedestrians were struck by vehicles in Suffolk County, resulting in 573 non-fatal injuries and 33 fatalities. (WALK SAFE L I COALITION/Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee). Speed, large trucks, and driver age were among the contributing factors, significantly higher than alcohol or substance-related causes.

Locally, evidence of the problem is all too clear, and it was on the minds of many community members in June, when 12-year-old Natasha Robertson was struck by a 2015 Jeep Wrangler as she and her friend were crossing Main Street in Center Moriches one day before the start of their summer vacation from school. As another school year begins, residents are concerned about their safety and the safety of their children.

County Road 80/Montauk Highway/Main Street is a heavily trafficked roadway. As such, it serves as both a high-speed artery, then quickly transitions into Main Street, where children are attending schools, parishioners go to worship, people shop and do business.

Since September 2025, there have been at least eight accidents along Montauk Highway between East Moriches and the intersection with William Floyd Parkway. They are typical of what is happening across Suffolk County.

Motorcyclist collides head-on with a Tesla. A hit-and-run with one driver later arrested. A single-vehicle crash near Bay Avenue, driver deceased. A three-car collision near Kalers Pond, one driver charged with operating a vehicle impaired by drugs. A three-car crash, both drivers 24 years old. A 19-year-old motorcyclist killed when he collides with a 2014 Ram 1500 pickup truck next to James Hawkins Road. A 34-year-old struck by an SUV as he attempts to cross Montauk Highway next to William Floyd Parkway. A 19-year-old driver fell asleep and hit the LIRR trestle in Center Moriches

Speed and vehicle size often are determining factors in pedestrian and driver fatalities. The distance between traffic lights on Montauk Highway means that many drivers speed up to avoid having to stop at the next light. Braking vehicles require 10 feet of space for every 10  miles per hour they’re traveling, making sudden stops unlikely at higher speeds.

In its June 2026 investigative report, “Deadly Rise of Giant Trucks and SUVs,” The New York Times stated, “After declining steadily, each year since 2009 the number of pedestrians killed each year has risen by 75 percent.” Increased height and weight of pickup trucks and SUVs also increases the likelihood of pedestrian fatalities. Where earlier designs might mean an impact would strike a pedestrian’s torso and be survivable, current chassis are significantly heavier, and an average 4 feet higher, than previous models.

Over time, emphasis has been on improving passenger and driver safety. Pedestrians struck by today’s popular models—Ford 150, Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Toyota Tacoma/Tundra—face impact with 4,000 to 7,000 pounds at a point above their gravity. These injuries are more likely to be fatal.  Forensic Rock conducted crash tests for the Times report. Said Shawn Harrington, “Before the driver knows what’s happened, the pedestrian’s under the wheels.”

The report also found that larger side-view mirrors and the wider pillars that support the roof and protect passengers reduce visibility, causing significant blind spots across the front and sides of the truck, especially on the left-hand side, where pedestrian strikes often occur.

Well-defined crosswalks and pedestrian-activated signals help improve safety. The County Road intersections with busy cross streets like Railroad Avenue have well-defined crosswalks and signals. Yet, crosswalks on side streets maintained by the Town of Brookhaven, like Railroad Avenue, Beach Fern Street, Banks, Union and Canal, connecting to Montauk Highway, are worn and barely visible or non-existent.

Speed management options are sorely lacking as well. Traffic-calming measures like speed bumps, roundabouts, lane demarcation to narrow lanes, and flashing digital speed signs could help slow vehicles. Lower speed limits and greater enforcement are also options that could improve safety for residents.

Pedestrians avoid the broken sidewalk that passes through the dim, elevated tunnel above the rail trestle, walking instead along the narrow shoulder between Senix Avenue and Old Neck Road.  Vehicles heading east come off a long stretch of the road where the speed limit is higher, often failing to slow down as they enter the more populated village in places where curves limit sight.  Cars, delivery, freight, construction and tractor-trailer rigs race through locations in front of elementary schools in East Moriches, Center Moriches and Moriches/Mastic, where reduced speed limits are posted but rarely enforced.

Children riding their bicycles, walking to and from school, retirees and the elderly who may have mobility issues are disproportionately affected by these risks—speeding vehicles and increased traffic—that are present for all of us.

In June, many residents took to Facebook and CMFD’s homepage to express their sorrow and share their concerns after Natasha Robinson was struck. They cited the prevalence of large vehicles speeding through town, especially on Main Street, and a perceived lack of officials’ efforts to enforce speed laws or slow traffic by elevating crosswalks and installing speed cameras through school zones.

Other options exist: installing advanced signaling and warning systems, similar to those used to indicate low overpass situations to truckers; “Pedestrian-Hybrid Beacons,” a.k.a. “HAWK” signals,  the overhead warning lights activated by pedestrian button that flash yellow, then red, forcing traffic to stop; rectangular rapid flashing beacons—bright, stutter-flashing LED lights at un-signalized, mid-block crossings, to sharply increase motorist yield compliance in locations where people frequently cross; and adopting the “30 X 30” initiative to “reduce roadway fatalities 30 percent by 2030 so we reduce human and economic losses from motor vehicle crashes.” (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety/Highway Loss Data Institute)