Buckle Up!

Airplane flight crews remind passengers to buckle up during takeoffs, landings and periods of turbulence. My family, virtually all of my friends and I wear seat belts in our cars too, but some people don't bother -- even people like New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine, whose state has a mandatory seatbelt law. His carelessness, and that of the driver who was supposed to make sure that everyone was buckled up, resulted in devastating injuries when his vehicle was involved in an horrific accident.

The New York Times reported, "The crash occurred about 6:15 p.m. Thursday in the northbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway, about five miles north of the Atlantic City Expressway. The governor’s Chevrolet Suburban swerved to avoid a Dodge Ram truck that had, in turn, turned to avoid a red pickup that was described by the police as driving erratically. The Suburban slid into the end of a guardrail, which 'penetrated the vehicle, and struck both [State Patrol officer] Robert J. Rasinski [who was driving] and Governor Corzine,' according to a police report."

Governor Corzine's injuries are life-threatening. He is in intensive care and is facing further surgery. The Times article reported, "Both Robert J. Rasinski, the state trooper driving the car, and Samantha Gordon, the aide in the back seat, were apparently wearing their seat belts. Mr. Rasinski left the hospital at 5:15 p.m. Friday. Ms. Gordon was sore, but otherwise uninjured."

Bottom line is: buckle up, whether on a quick errand around town or on a road trip.