By Kevin Wack, Staff Writer --
Raymond Lydia Carson was driving to the swimming pool one morning last October when a sheriff's deputy waved her off Route 302 and into a parking lot alongside Sebago Lake.
Like several other motorists stopped at this roadblock, which was aimed at nabbing drivers with a suspended license, Carson said she didn't mind the unexpected detour.
''In the short term it's a hassle,'' said the 58-year-old homemaker. ''But ultimately it may prevent someone from ramming into you at 90 miles per hour with a suspended license.''
n four hours, the law enforcement effort netted just two arrests of suspended drivers. But Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion said the value of such roadblocks can't be measured in arrests alone. More than 400 motorists were stopped, and each drove away with a greater understanding of the suspended-driver problem.
''We need to create an environment of responsibility,'' Dion explained.
The early morning roadblock at Raymond Beach was an example of how authorities hope to raise awareness about the perils of driving with a suspended license. When suspended drivers are involved in crashes, people are much more likely to be seriously injured or killed than when licensed drivers are involved, according to an analysis of statewide crash data by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.
Education of the law-abiding public - whether through police roadblocks, grass-roots organizing or advertising campaigns - is seen as crucial because there are no simple solutions to the suspended-driver problem. Strict police enforcement can make a difference, but there will never be an officer at every intersection.
Even officials who think the state needs to employ harsher penalties acknowledge that tough laws, such as those requiring mandatory minimum prison sentences, won't deter the most recalcitrant scofflaws.
Although public awareness has improved in recent years, officials say there's still a long way to go.
...Penalties for people caught driving with a suspended license can range from a small fine for a first-time offender to a felony conviction and six months in jail for people with three or more prior convictions.
'Not all suspended drivers are the same,'' Dion said.
One way to shine a light on the most dangerous drivers would be to create a separate license classification for people whose driving privileges are withdrawn for reasons that have nothing to do with their driving behavior. That's an idea currently under consideration by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, which has been studying the suspended-driver problem for more than two years. If adopted, the proposal would be put into model legislation and sent to all 50 states.
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