Maine Drivers Warned of ‘Zombies Ahead’

A curious hacker got into a road sign in Maine early today and changed the message. For a short while, instead of saying: "Night work 8 pm-6 am. Expect delays" the sign hilariously read "Warning: Zombies Ahead."

The Dangers and Legal Ramifications of Road Sign Tampering

This might not seem like such a big deal. It is likely at least a few morning drivers got a chuckle out of the message (at least those who understood it was a joke and not a real warning) but the fact is those precaution signs are meant to help drivers understand what might be going on ahead of them. Altering that message in any way diverts driver attention away from what might really be happening and could easily cause a collision. Not only is altering the sign dangerous it is also illegal. In fact, under Maine state law, tampering with any 'safety device' (which is what that sign is) is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Defensive drivers understand the importance of being aware of their environment and paying close attention to road signs, potential hazards and warning alerts. Of course if the warning alerts have been altered it is impossible for them to know what, if anything, they should be aware of. It might seem funny to alter road signs and cause a moment of confusion for drivers, but as any traffic safety expert, police officer or safe driver will tell you, it only takes a moment for an accident to happen; every moment counts.

Maine Drivers Likely Seniors

Maine is dealing with an issue that's making safety officials wonder if and when older folks should give up their driver's licenses. Unfortunately, the question of whether or not to turn over the privilege of driving to someone else is not an easy one to answer, especially when you consider the utter lack of any sort of reasonable public transportation in the United States. How does someone without a driver's license get to the supermarket, a doctor's appointment or even to a visit with friends and family? In Maine a full 20 percent of all drivers are considered senior citizens. As a group those individuals are responsible for more than 20 percent of all fatal crashes in the state. Maine has a median population age of 42, meaning the entire state is quickly approaching retirement age. Among other steps the state is taking to ensure the safety of everyone on the roads in Maine, officials are regularly checking on the safety of all drivers and trying to make decisions which will hurt the least.
Recognizing the risks of continuing to drive when vision, cognitive reasoning or reaction time has declined, many drivers give up their licenses or scale back their driving to daytime hours and/or familiar roads. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles also increases its scrutiny of drivers after age 65, requiring license renewal every four years instead of six. Vision tests are required for every renewal after a person turns 62, said Patty Morneau, head of the bureau's licensing division. Another check on deteriorating driving skills is called adverse driving reports. Police submit them to the bureau when they encounter a driver whose driving abilities appear questionable because of a crash or violation. Adverse driving reports often require a driver's physician to complete a Functional Ability Profile, listing the physical, mental or emotional conditions that may affect the person's ability to drive. Ultimately, the licensing division's medical advisory board determines what restrictions should be imposed on a driver's license, ranging from requiring additional testing to restricting when a person can drive to revoking driving privileges.

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Maine Sees Drop In DUI Arrests

People in Maine are buzzing with excitement over a big drop in the number of people caught driving drunk over the last ten years. While some folks are throwing confetti and cheering about what's behind the decline, others are scratching their heads and wondering. They ask if it’s because more folks know the risks and rules or if sneaky drivers are just slipping through the cracks. No matter how the cookie crumbles, it’s intriguing to dig deeper and find out the scoop on this puzzling trend. Could it be that the efforts to spread the word and crack down on intoxicated drivers deserve a round of applause, or is there another side to the story? Dive in and discover the tale behind the numbers. The debate is raging in the state as police and public safety advocates try to determine just exactly what is happening and why.
A Portland Press Herald analysis of data from the Maine Administrative Office of the Courts shows that the number of drunken-driving charges brought by Maine police dropped from 8,029 in 2001 to 6,026 in 2011.
During that same period of time Maine has also severely cutback on funding for police operations and police staff, forcing some departments to close entirely. This, in combination with the drop in DUI arrests has many people pointing to the decline as a bad sign; that people are getting away with driving drunk because there simply are not enough police on the streets to catch them. But others, especially those engaged in law enforcement in the state, say the decline is the result of a direct emphasis on finding and punishing those drivers who dare get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol. It is difficult to know just what has caused the near 25 percent decline in the number of drunk driving arrests in the state of Maine. Without omnipotent powers there is no way to know just how many drivers might be under the influence of alcohol and whether or not that number has actually gone down in the past decade or whether they are just being missed. But it seems likely that now that police are being questioned about the effectiveness of their DUI efforts they will be striving to prove their results are real and not just a fluke and certainly not the result of "out of sight, out of mind."

Maine Gets Tough On Teen Drivers And Texters

This week, Maine's Governor, Paul LePage, signed a new measure focused on teens with provisional licenses and those who text while driving. Last December the National Transportation Safety Board released a report which showed that fatal crashes caused by distracted driving now outnumber the number caused by drunk driving. The NTSB recommended all states immediately enact complete and total bans of the use of handheld devices by all drivers. So far 36 states have enacted some sort of ban, either partial or total on the use of handheld devices by drivers. According to the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety, since Christmas, 16 teen drivers have been killed in crashes caused by distracted driving on Maine roadways. Now Maine is doing its part to reduce the number of crashes caused by distracted driving, and sending a message to teen drivers that distracted driving simply will not be tolerated. The new law increases the minimum fine for texting while driving, regardless of age, to between $250 and as much as $500. Up from the current fine of $100. Fines and terms of license suspensions for violating conditions on a juvenile provisional license, such as limits on hours of driving, are increased. The duration for which repeat offenders lose their provisional licenses for violations is also increased, to a maximum of one year. Lawmakers also increased fees to get a provisional license reinstated, and required all provisional drivers whose licenses have been suspended to take a four-hour improvement course as of Jan. 1. Two years ago Maine legislators tried to enact a similar law, taking a tough stance against distracted driving, but that measure failed to garner enough support to pass. Following the recent spate of distracted driving tragedies and the recent NTSB report, however, the new laws found overwhelming support and passed easily.