Nader calls on congressman to resign after fatal wreck
Crash under investigation
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Rep. William Janklow, a Republican, is a former governor of South Dakota.
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South Dakota police are accusing U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow of running a stop sign in his Cadillac and killing a man riding a motorcycle. CNN's Aaron Brown reports. (August 21)
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Ralph Nader and other consumer advocates called on South Dakota congressman William Janklow to resign Thursday after Janklow was involved in a fatal wreck near his hometown earlier this month.
"There is no need to wait for prosecutors or civil suits by the next-of-kin to haul you into South Dakota's courts," Nader wrote in a letter to Janklow, a first-term House Republican and former governor. "You should resign your congressional seat immediately in atonement for what was only going to be a matter of time -- the taking of life by a driver relentlessly bent on turning his vehicle into a lawless, dangerous missile."
Nader wrote that Janklow had been cited several times previously for "excessive speeding and reckless driving," and said that "for years you have spoken, some would say even boasted, about your penchant for driving very fast on public highways."
Janklow, 63, was elected to South Dakota's sole seat in the House of Representatives in 2002 after serving four terms as governor. His office did not immediately respond to Nader's call for his resignation.
Janklow was at the wheel in an August 16 collision with a motorcyclist near the congressman's hometown of Flandreau, South Dakota, the state Highway Patrol said. The motorcyclist -- Randolph E. Scott, 55, of Hardwick, Minnesota -- was pronounced dead at the scene.
No charges have been filed against Janklow in the accident. But an accident report, according to the Associated Press, says that Jankow was driving 20 mph hours over the speed limit.
Nader, the Green Party candidate for president in 2000, said Janklow should face second-degree manslaugher charges.
The letter was co-signed by two of Nader's allies: Joan Claybrook, president of the Nader-founded consumer advocacy group Public Citizen; and Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Nader-affilliated Center for Auto Safety.
Nader wrote that Janklow has acknowledged earlier speeding tickets publicly, and he urged the congressman to give up his driver's license as well as his office.
Nader was author of the 1965 book "Unsafe at Any Speed," accusing General Motors of ignoring safety in its design of automobiles. It led to laws forcing automakers to make safety-based design changes.
