STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A 17-year-old new driver narrowly avoided a head-on collision with a car driving on the wrong side of the road near her school in December, dash cam video provided to the Advance/SILive.com shows.
Isabella Insauto of Annadale was driving to St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School around 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 19 when she moved to make a left turn from Hylan Boulevard onto Philip Avenue. That’s when another vehicle approached her head-on, crossing the double yellow lines into Insauto’s turning lane.
Despite the rainy weather, Insauto was able to make a sudden stop, preventing a serious collision.
The other driver continued past her, bypassing traffic, said Insauto.
The near-miss was captured on Insauto’s dash cam.
The scary experience was a lesson on practicing defensive driving, said Insauto.
“Always stay alert, especially if you’re a new driver,” Insauto cautioned. “Always pay attention and always anticipate what other people are going to do.”
This wasn’t the first time the high school senior encountered dangerous driving during the morning school commute on Staten Island’s roads.
She detailed a previous incident similar to her most recent experience, and mentioned that at least one of her friends from St. Joseph by-the-Sea has experienced similar dangerous situations.
Due to the repeated danger, Insauto is now considering an alternate route to the Annadale school to avoid the problematic intersection.
When her father saw the footage, he was in “complete shock” and expressed relief that she was unharmed, said Insauto. Her mother told her it was “just how Staten Islanders drive.”
“She’s a great driver. I tell her all the time I’m not worried about her it’s everyone else I’m worried about,” said Jessica Insauto.
The map above depicts the path that 17-year-old Isabella Insauto (red dashes) took the morning she narrowly avoided collision with another vehicle (blue dashes) that was traveling on the wrong side of the road near St. Joseph’s by the Sea High School in December.Google MapsA boroughwide traffic safety issue
Dash cam videos previously submitted to Advance/SILive.com captured Staten Island drivers engaging in dangerous, illegal maneuvers that nearly caused crashes at busy intersections and high‑traffic areas.
A dash cam video shared with the Advance/SILive.com shows a Range Rover recklessly swerving into oncoming traffic and speeding around cars amid heavy school dismissal congestion near Susan E. Wagner High School on Manor Road on Nov. 14.
A Staten Island driver shared dash cam video footage of nearly getting hit at the all-way stop at Tysens Lane and Cranford Avenue on Oct. 21 after two cars turned and the camera-equipped vehicle proceeded.
Another dash cam clip sent into the Advance/SILive.com shows a blue SUV on Forest Avenue in Graniteville approaching a red light and making a reckless turn through the busy intersection at Willow Road West during afternoon traffic on Oct. 1.
While New York City ended 2025 with the fewest traffic deaths since records began in 1910, Staten Island was an exception, seeing a rise in fatal crashes, according to New York City Department of Transportation data. The borough recorded 13 traffic deaths in 2025, up from 12 in 2024.
City officials point to Vision Zero, launched in 2014, as the foundation for efforts to address traffic violence. The initiative seeks to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by treating crashes as preventable rather than inevitable.
Under Vision Zero, the city has expanded 24/7 speed camera enforcement, added hundreds of miles of bike lanes and protected bike lanes, provided traffic safety education to school-aged children and strengthened driver training and vehicle safety standards.
Despite these measures, Staten Island’s road-related fatalities present ongoing challenges unique to the borough, including wide roadways, higher vehicle speeds and limited pedestrian infrastructure in many neighborhoods.
Transportation officials say no level of traffic death is acceptable — a principle that continues to guide city policy as families across Staten Island mourn lives lost on local streets.
