HUNTINGTON, NY – August 13, 2026
Town of Huntington with county officials, state representatives, and labor leaders convened on August 13, 2026, at Town Hall and Veterans Plaza to deliver a unified public safety message: slow down, pay attention, and keep roadside workers and the motoring public safe. The coalition warned against impaired and distracted driving, urged vigilance in work zones, and called for swift legislative reform to bring drugged driving penalties in line with drunk driving laws.
A Unified Front Against Dangerous Driving
Town Supervisor Ed Smyth stood alongside Highway Superintendent Andre Sorrentino, Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly, Councilwoman Brooke Lupinacci, Councilwoman Jen Hebert, Receiver of Taxes Jillian Guthman, Town Clerk Andrew Raia, Director of Public Safety Officer Chris Lau, and Suffolk County Police Department 2nd Precinct Inspector Marcus Rivera along with many others to underscore a simple but urgent theme.
Officials stressed that distracted driving remains a persistent threat especially when travel increases and attention wanes. The guidance was explicit and comprehensive.
“Put down the phones, no DUI, no smoking pot, no food, no radio,” Supervisor Ed Smyth urged residents. “Pay attention to what you’re doing because you’re better off doing that.”
“Behind Those Cones is a Workplace”
At Veterans Plaza, officials and labor leaders wore yellow safety vests to draw attention to the risks in active work zones. They warned that speeding and distraction can turn routine maintenance into catastrophe.
Supervisor Smyth emphasized the importance of heeding advance signage long before reaching crews.
“Oftentimes, by the time you see a worker with a reflective vest on, it may be too late,” Smyth cautioned. “Pay attention to them. Don’t just breeze past them.” He continued “If there is road work or a construction site…motorists need to be aware that the heavy equipment cannot maneuver quickly and cannot get out of your way.”
Mark Herbst, Executive Director of the Long Island Contractors Association (LICA), reinforced the point that work zones are not mere inconveniences. “Behind those cones is a workplace.” Herbst said.
Less than 24 hours after a fatal incident, he noted, another crash struck a Sunrise Highway work zone when
“a drunken driver going seventy-five miles per hour sped through.” No workers were injured in that subsequent event, but the near-miss underscored the urgency.
Herbst urged specific legislative steps: pass a long-stalled bill establishing vehicular manslaughter in a work zone – first introduced in 2009 – mandate police presence at job sites, and deploy more movable speed cameras to deter speeders. “Although legislation moves slow, the traffic speeding through the work zones is fast and dangerous and needs to be addressed,” he said.
Personal Stories, Public Pleas
Huntington Highway Superintendent Andre Sorrentino shared harrowing firsthand experience to humanize the stakes.
“This kind of hits home for me because as Ed mentioned, I was doing a routine traffic tow, six o’clock at night, and I was run over by a drunk driver,” Sorrentino said. “I am lucky enough to be standing here talking about it… Please slow down. It’s not worth it. You can really hurt somebody or take their life.”
He described another incident in detail: “I was towing a routine police call and a guy just came out of nowhere, went down over the sidewalk, got me in somebody’s driveway, and, you know, took me out.” Sorrentino suffered a fractured eye socket, nerve damage, and other injuries. “It was a long road to recovery. I’m lucky enough that I can sit here and I can talk about it. Where this poor gentleman and these other guys…their lives were affected.”
His crews face these dangers regularly. “We’ve had plenty of our crew blocking traffic, and they end up getting hit by a car. It’s terrible.”
“These Are Not Accidents”: A Legislative Stalemate
The gathering shifted from public appeals to calls for Albany lawmakers to close what officials described as a perilous gap in New York State law: drugged driving is not treated with the same legal gravity as drunk driving, hampering enforcement and prosecution.
State Senator Mario Mattera delivered a passionate rebuke.
“The laws of the land in this state with cannabis, pot, weed, whatever you want to call it… We do have drunk driving laws. What about the deadly driving law that’s out?” Mattera said, noting that efforts to strengthen drug-impaired driving enforcement have been repeatedly pulled from the state budget. “We’re the only fourth state in the whole country that does not have deadly driving laws. I’m going to ask everybody, why? This is unacceptable!”
Mattera argued that law enforcement lacks the tools to prosecute drug-impaired drivers, allowing offenders to evade serious consequences. He cited the recent death of Joel Sicon-Porix, a road worker killed on the job, and the severe injuries sustained by 2 others, Kevin Chavez-Sarmiento and Jose Gonzalez Colindres, one of whom lost a leg. “I’m very passionate because a life was taken. Plus we have somebody that lost their leg. Plus we have somebody that’s still in the hospital with massive injuries. Unacceptable,” he said. “They go put food on the table to make our roads safer for us. And look what happens. It wasn’t safe.”
Mattera added that technology exists for roadside cannabis testing, but the legal framework to use it is missing. He said the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office has laws “ready to go,” but legislative leaders have removed funding and proposals from the state budget for two consecutive years.
“The problem is we have policies put in place and guess what happens? They don’t want to move them forward because they don’t want anybody to be incarcerated.”
New York State Assemblyman Steve Stern echoed the urgency and confirmed he is a co-sponsor of pending legislation.
“Very simply, what it would do is bring drugged driving into parity with drunk driving,” Stern said. “The two are not treated the same, and that becomes a problem from an enforcement and a prosecution standpoint.”
Stern described a multi-year, bipartisan push backed by law enforcement, highway departments, and community advocates. “This has been an ongoing issue. And as the Senator has pointed out, there have been efforts on the Senate side and on the Assembly side, and even by the governor’s office during the budget process, and every time for a myriad of unfortunate reasons, that legislation remains to be passed.”
Choice and Accountability
Officials emphasized that while legislative action is critical, individual responsibility behind the wheel is paramount.
“These are horrific, dangerous choices that are not accidents,” Stern declared. “When we approach this issue… in terms of a choice, a reckless, selfish, criminal choice… The important message that comes out from our community today is make a better choice and don’t drive high.”
The unified message from Town Hall was clear: eliminate distractions, never drive impaired, and exercise extreme caution in work zones. Advance signage is placed hundreds of feet before crews begin work – react early, slow down, and give workers space.
Call to Action: Community Engagement
Mattera and Stern urged residents to press legislative leaders and the Governor’s office to act. “What we need to do is we need to get up there and we need to lobby,” Senator Mattera said. “Strength in numbers wins.”
Assemblyman Stern said the effort must extend statewide. “We need the support of colleagues all throughout New York State. Members know it’s a problem, but we do need greater community engagement from all over the state.”
Huntington leaders reiterated practical steps motorists can take today to save lives.
● Put down the phone.
● Do not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
● Avoid other distractions – no eating or fiddling with the radio.
● Slow down and obey posted signs, especially in work zones.
● Watch for crews and equipment; give them ample distance.
● Watch for crews and equipment; give them ample distance.
● Exercise caution around Public Safety, Code Enforcement, law enforcement and first responders, giving them plenty of room to work safely.
“These are not accidents.” said Assemblyman Steve Stern. “Too many of them are the result of horrific and horrendous choices that are made. It is selfish. It is criminal. It is reckless. Put the phone down. Don’t take the drink. Don’t take the drug. Don’t drive drunk. Don’t drive high. Don’t text and drive.”
Photography by Dana E. Richter and Diane Schaber. Videography by June Margolin. Video Editing by Dana E. Richter.
