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| The new Hackensack City Council is meeting tonight at 7 on the 3rd Floor of City Hall at Central Avenue and State Street. |
By Victor E. Sasson
Editor
The centerpiece on the front page of The Record today is a familiar story -- one I've probably read 100 times in newspapers or seen on TV news:
A car runs down and kills a pedestrian, but the driver tells police he "didn't see" the victim.
He wasn't speeding and didn't break any other traffic laws.
And the police say he didn't appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, so no charges are filed.
Life is worth little
Look how cheap life is in North Jersey.
Emil Sous -- a North Haledon man whose 17-year-old daughter Michelle was killed in just this way -- is seeking mandatory drug and alcohol tests for all pedestrians and drivers involved in fatal accidents (A-1).
But why stop there?
Why haven't police and prosecutors long ago called on lawmakers to pass a law that would criminalize the actions of a driver who was so negligent that he took a human life?
The Sous family undoubtedly will file a lawsuit against Steven Timpone, 24, the driver of the pickup that killed Michelle in front of their home.
But the damages they win won't bring Timpone and drivers like him to justice. He probably won't even lose his license.
Paper is at fault
I have never seen an editorial in The Record calling for stiffer laws that would, in effect, charge a driver who killed a pedestrian with criminal negligence.
In fact, Staff Writer John Cichowski's Road Warrior column has criticized red-light cameras and other measures intended to catch and penalize speeding drivers.
Through laziness or sheer incompetence, the Road Warrior has championed readers who treat driving like a blood sport.
Speeding kills
In two recent columns, Cichowski allowed lead-footed drivers to attack and denigrate so-called road hogs, who obey the speed limit.
I guess Cichowski doesn't know or doesn't care that speeding is the cause of most accidents and red-light violations.
Doesn't compute
In today's Local news section, a police brief raised a question that it never answered:
What were two 18-year-olds doing driving a Range Rover, and why did one of them have a $10,000 Rolex watch (L-8)?
Heart healthy
Readers of Better Living are accustomed to reading recipes oozing with butter and heavy cream or sizzling with bacon.
So today's feature story on Gary Oppenheimer of West Milford -- "Hunger Fighter" -- is a welcome relief (BL-1).
Oppenheimer actually served Staff Writer Sachi Fujimori a salad from his own garden.
What a concept: Healthy food.
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