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Corzine Supports Tougher Seat Belt, Teen Driving Rules
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 27, 2008
Modified Mar 27, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 27, 2008
Modified Mar 27, 2008
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NJ Governor Jon Corzine, who was critically injured after not wearing a seat belt when his state vehicle crashed, endorsed a proposal requiring all passengers wear seat belts in vehicles on NJ roads. He also supported recommendations for stricter restrictions for drivers under age 20, even admitting his three children had been in accidents as teen drivers.
Corzine had been riding in his SUV's front passenger seat last year when he was ejected, breaking a leg, twelve ribs, a collarbone, and a breastbone. Even though NJ state law requires front passengers to buckle up, Corzine wasn't and later admitted he set a terrible example, even making a PSA showing him hobble around with his injuries. Corzine said yesterday, "Unfortunately, I can speak to the fact that seat belt usage is a very real protector of lives."
The seat belt requirement recommendation was from NJ's Teen Driver Study Commission, which noted that 5% of NJ drivers are teens, but they cause 12% of the accidents. The Star-Ledger reports teen drivers with learner's permits or provisional licenses would need to display a decal or placard saying as much for easier police enforcement of those drivers' "curfew, tougher seat-belt and cell phone regulations and restrictions on the number of passengers they can carry."
Photograph of Corzine leaving the hospital last year by Mel Evans/AP
Tagged
driving laws
Governor Corzine
jon corzine
nj
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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