RESTRICTED LICENSES
IN MAINE, many drivers whose licenses are suspended or revoked can apply for restricted licenses, which allow them to drive only to work or school. Some suspended drivers are ineligible, including people with more than one drunken driving conviction. But eligible individuals can file a petition with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which must also be signed by their employer. In cases where the petitions are granted, officials often restrict the hours that person is allowed to drive.
AS OF JAN. 8, 1,114 people in Maine had restricted licenses, according to the Maine Secretary of State's Office.
for other day-to-day chores.
"Basically, they play on the poor people, people that are just trying to get by," Jones said. "They say that driving is a privilege, but really it's a necessity."
Others who have been caught driving without a valid license say they were unaware of their situation.
Benjamin Colomb, 44, of East Waterboro said he was pulled over on his way home from work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery. Colomb is a diabetic, and his license was suspended because he'd failed to file a medical form with the state.
But Colomb said he never received a notice that his license was suspended -- probably because his address on Partridge Road changed when an enhanced-911 system was being implemented in the area.
In the end, he paid $50 in administrative costs, Colomb said.
"It was the first time I've ever gotten in handcuffs, first time I've ever ridden in a cruiser," he said. "There's a lot more hardened criminals out there."
State motor-vehicle officials acknowledge that this kind of glitch can happen, because they do not send letters by certified mail. But although mistakes sometimes occur, authorities also say they're accustomed to hearing dog-ate-my-homework excuses from drivers who regularly ignore both the law and common sense.
"If someone is a bad driver, it's very difficult to stop them from driving, even if you suspend their license," said York County District Attorney Mark Lawrence.
It's these drivers -- the small minority who ignore safe-driving laws -- who create big challenges for officials charged with protecting public safety.
"Almost everybody obeys the law," said Rep. Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick, House chairman of the Legislature's Criminal Justice Committee. "You have a small group of people that you read about in the paper every week."
Staff Writer Kevin Wack can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
kwack@pressherald.com
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