The Sayreville teenager was just 19 when she died after a 2007 crash. Her family’s efforts afterward would lead to a law designed to help families across New Jersey.

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SAYREVILLE, NJ — Her name still appears around Sayreville with a simple message: “Slow Down for Sara.”

Nineteen years after Sara Dubinin died at the age of 19, her memory remains part of the community — and a tragedy that began on a Sayreville road ultimately led to a change intended to help families across New Jersey.

Dubinin was seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash on Sept. 24, 2007. According to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, she became unresponsive following the crash and slipped into a coma before her parents could be notified. She died the following day.

Sara was a 2006 graduate of Cardinal McCarrick High School in South Amboy and was attending Middlesex County College at the time of her death, according to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. She also loved horses, a passion that would later become another part of her legacy.

Her parents’ experience following the crash helped lead to what became known as “Sara’s Law.”

Signed into law in 2011, the measure established New Jersey’s Next-of-Kin Registry, a statewide system allowing residents to voluntarily provide emergency contact information that law enforcement can access when someone is involved in a serious crash and cannot communicate.

The registry is available to New Jersey residents age 14 and older with a driver’s license, permit or non-driver identification card. Participants can designate up to two emergency contacts, and the information is not made public.

Sara’s memory has continued in other ways as well.

The New Jersey Equine Advisory Board established the Sara Dubinin Scholarship after her death, honoring her love of horses while helping young people pursue their own equine interests.

Her family also continued advocating for traffic safety in Sayreville. Borough meeting records from 2014 show Sara’s mother, Betty Dubinin, asking officials about placing a sign near the area of the crash on Karcher Street. The borough had also created a memorial garden at Kennedy Park in Sara’s memory and in remembrance of other Sayreville children who had died.

Years later, “Slow Down for Sara” has remained a familiar message in the community. The Sayreville Police Department again shared it Thursday as the borough marked 19 years since her death.

“Every time you ease off the gas, put the phone down, and choose caution, you honor Sara,” police wrote.

For the Dubinin family, the impact of Sara’s story also extends far beyond Sayreville. The registry created in her memory remains available statewide today, giving families a way to provide law enforcement with the contact information her parents did not have the benefit of nearly two decades ago.

Residents can register or update their information through the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission’s Next-of-Kin Registry.

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