A petition to improve the safety of New York Route 16 has received over 8,000 signatures following the fatal crash of 18-year-old Buffalo native Cameron Velasquez.

The petition, which was started by Cameron’s mother Helen Velasquez, is calling for rumple strips to be added to the stretch of road.

"He had so much more life to live," Helen said.

Her life is now changed forever. October 4 marks two weeks since Helen lost her son.

Cameron, a recent Bishop Timon graduate, was heading home from Alfred State College on Route 16 in Sardinia when he fell asleep behind the wheel, veered into oncoming traffic, and crashed head on with a tractor trailer. 

"Had there been rumble strips, maybe it would have woken him up. Maybe he still would have crashed but maybe he'd still be here," Helen said. "I don't want anyone else to feel this. I don't want anyone else's baby to lose their life.”

Assemblyman Pat Burke and Erie County Legislator Joe Lorigo have sent letters to the NYS Department of Transportation commissioner, echoing Helen's request to hopefully stop future Route 16 tragedies.  

"It's a long strip of road that is owned by the state. It can be dangerous. If rumble strips can help, they should be there," Lorigo said. 

Helen, however, wants to be clear she's not doing this for political reasons or to place blame. 

"He made a mistake. He should have stayed and slept. I'm not blaming anyone, but I’m saying we could save someone else from this happening to," Helen said. 

The NYS DOT sent a statement to Spectrum News about the petition:

"The New York State Department of Transportation is developing its upcoming capital plan and will consider installing center-line rumble strips to enhance safety for motorists in numerous locations in Western New York, including along Route 16," the statement read.

It continued, "Generally speaking, these decisions are based upon criteria such as pavement conditions, traffic counts, speed limits and roadway characteristics. NYSDOT has installed nearly 300 miles of center-line rumble strips in Western New York in recent years and is planning to add even more."

You can find the petition here.