AUGUSTA, Maine - In recent weeks there have been several fatal accidents in Maine involving drivers who have had their licenses suspended. In one case, the driver had never had a license.
Secretary of State Matt Dunlap says it's very difficult to get an accurate count of those driving after their licenses have been suspended, let alone stop them.
"How we can determine whether or not someone is under suspension and continuing to drive, we have absolutely no mechanism to make that determination," Dunlap says. "We assume that when people go under suspension, they do not drive."
Dunlap says a good estimate is that less than 5 percent of the more than one million licensed drivers in Maine violate the law and continue to drive after their license is suspended.
He says the state has been trying for years to educate drivers about the serious consequences of driving after license suspension, which can include very high fines and jail time.
