Correction — September 18, 2026: The earlier article used unequal, repeated feed records to infer relative commuter risk and recommended routes on that basis. Those conclusions were unsupported and have been removed. The original URL and publication record are retained.
| Corridor, Nassau and Suffolk portions | Fatal crashes | People killed |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway | 110 | 120 |
| Southern State Parkway | 140 | 169 |
These corridors differ in length, traffic volume and vehicle mix. A difference in the total number of fatal crashes does not establish the risk per trip. Dividing by road length alone would still omit how much people drive on each road.
A defensible commute comparison would also need equivalent time periods, trip distances, vehicle exposure, crash severity definitions and a method for the same origin and destination. Our current data does not establish that one route is safer at a particular hour.
How to read these records
The figures cover 2010–2024, not 2026. The downloaded 2024 files were labeled preliminary when retrieved on September 17, 2026. A fatal crash and a person killed are different units: a single crash can kill more than one person.
NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System records qualifying fatal traffic crashes. It does not provide a census of every injury, breakdown or lane closure. Our tables count distinct year-and-case identifiers and retain the reported fatalities.
The full road report and downloadable data explain county limits, road assignment and missing coordinates. These are historical counts, without a denominator for miles driven, trips or traffic volume. They cannot establish the safest route or the chance of a crash on a particular trip.
For present conditions, check 511NY and posted restrictions. Historical counts do not establish whether a road is open now.