Bob Stenehjem Wasn’t Wearing His Seat Belt
I oppose laws requiring citizens to wear their seat belts – I think those laws are more about revenues than safety – but that being said, I think people should choose to wear their seat belts.
Yesterday’s car crash in Alaska killing North Dakota Senate Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem is evidence of that:
BISMARCK, N.D. — Alaska State Troopers say North Dakota Senate Republican Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem wasn’t wearing a seat belt in the crash that killed him near Soldotna on Monday.
A police report says it does not appear alcohol was a factor in the crash.
Police reports say Stenehjem was driving a sport utility vehicle north on the Sterling Highway when he crossed the center line and went into the highway’s south ditch. The SUV rolled several times.
Police reports say Stenehjem, his son Rob and another adult passenger, Keith Johnson, were not wearing seat belts as Alaska law requires. They were all thrown from the vehicle.
Stenehjem’s 11-year-old grandson was wearing a seat belt. He was not injured.
Apparently officials are wondering if some sudden health malady could have caused the crash. Or perhaps Senator Stenehjem just fell asleep.
Either way, wear your seat belts. Not because some law tells you to (the law didn’t exactly save Senator Stenehjem’s life), but because you owe it to those who care about you.
Update: More on Stenehjem and seat belts from the Bismarck Tribune:
As a state senator, Bob Stenehjem opposed proposals to make North Dakota’s seat-belt law into a primary enforcement law, and friends said he personally disliked wearing a seat belt.
I, too, oppose mandatory seat belt laws but I think people should wear them.
Tags: bob stenehjem, North Dakota News
