This is not reflecting well on the governor of New Jersey, Jon S. Corzine.
While everyone hopes for his speedy recovery from serious injuries he suffered in an accident last week, it is becoming increasingly apparent that Corzine is a victim of some very bad choices made by himself and those traveling with him.
First we learned that he was not wearing a seatbelt, which would help to explain why he remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Now we learn that the SUV he was riding in was traveling at 91 miles per hour immediately before the crash, with its emergency lights flashing.
What was the emergency here that justified a speed over 90 miles per hour? The governor was on his way to a meeting between Don Imus and the members of the Rutgers women's basketball team that Imus had referred to on the air as "nappy headed hos." Arriving at the meeting on time, or at all, was not exactly a life-threatening emergency. The state trooper should be cited and disciplined for driving at an excessive speed and for using emergency lights in a non-emergency situation.
It is fair game to question the judgment of all concerned -- Corzine, the state trooper, and anyone who went along with their reckless conduct in this instance and others. Even loving puff pieces admit that the governor routinely refused to wear a seat belt. That makes him a routine lawbreaker of a law that he promoted:
As a U.S. senator in 2001, Corzine proposed having the federal government direct states to pass laws requiring children under age 16 wear seat belts.
New Jersey law requires drivers and front seat passengers wear a seat belt. Violators face a $46 fine.
Even knowing that Corzine routinely ignored the seatbelt laws of his own state and did not buckle up (probably assuming, quite correctly, that nobody would dare to issue a citation to the governor), it seems bizarre that Corzine still did not see fit to buckle up when the speed of the vehicle he was riding in exceeded 70, 80 and then 90 miles per hour. Laws made by men can be ignored, but the laws of physics are immutable.
One can debate whether seatbelt laws should exist at all. But we have laws against speeding for reasons that involve the protection of others. We have laws against unnecessary use of emergency lights for a similar reason. Those reasons were amply illustrated in this case.
It is lucky that others were not killed. This kind of reckless driving, involving excessive speeds and use of emergency lights for reasons of mere convenience, cannot be allowed again in New Jersey or anywhere else. It should be penalized as a deterrent to others.
Frankly, the poor judgment of Corzine and those in the vehicle with him exceeded that of Don Imus in this case.
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