New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has apologized for not wearing a seat belt when his SUV crashed April 12, asking for forgiveness and admitting he had set a poor example for other motorists.
It would only be right if the governor, who was in the front passenger seat, was ticketed for violating the New Jersey law requiring front-seat passengers to wear a seat belt. If so, he’ll face a $46 fine.
Whether or not Corzine is ticketed, he has already been punished severely by another set of laws from which there is no appeal: the laws of physics.
As Corzine commendably recognizes, his misfortune provides a “teachable moment” to underscore the value of wearing seat belts at all times.
Corzine was riding in a 2005 Chevrolet Suburban, which does not have side-impact air-bag protection, when it crashed on the Garden State Parkway at 91 mph. Because he was thrown about inside the vehicle, Corzine fractured his left thigh, 11 ribs, his breastbone and other bones. He’ll face months of rehabilitation.
In contrast, Corzine’s driver, Trooper Robert Rasinski, was wearing a seat belt and received only minor injuries.
Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said, “Given the severity of this accident, probably no one should have been seriously injured if they were wearing seat belts. But when your body is thrown around, there are lots of things that you can hit that hurt you.”
Colorado may have more to learn from Corzine’s misfortune than New Jersey does, because the Garden State already has one of the nation’s highest rates for seat-belt usage, 90 percent. Only 79 percent of Colorado drivers wear their belts, a touch below the national average of 81 percent.
Colorado law does require seat-belt usage, though officers can issue a ticket only if you are stopped while violating other traffic laws as well. The fine for drivers and front seat passengers not wearing a belt is $18. Children between 4 and 15 must be restrained in car seats, booster seats or seat belts, whether they are in the front or back seats.
More important, the laws of physics operate in Colorado just as brutally as they do in New Jersey. The Colorado Department of Transportation reports 258 drivers or passengers who were not buckled up died on state roads in 2005. Many could have survived if they had been wearing seat belts.
It takes just a few seconds to buckle yourself and your passengers safely in a car. Learn from Gov. Corzine. Make it a habit.
