The Issue
In Maine, thousands of people lose their driver’s licenses every year; not because they are dangerous drivers, but because they are poor.

A missed child support payment. A lapsed insurance premium. An unpaid fine. Any of these can trigger license suspensions or revocations that devastate lives.

Taking away someone’s legal ability to drive, in a state with almost no public transportation, does not fix the debt. Instead, it makes it nearly impossible to work, attend medical appointments, or care for children. It traps people in a cycle where they can’t pay because they can’t drive; and they can’t drive because they can’t pay.

I’ve seen it in my own community: hardworking people stripped of their ability to survive, not because they posed a danger on the road, but because they couldn’t afford bills. This is not just unproductive. It is cruel.

 
Why It Matters
Public Safety: License suspension should be reserved for genuinely unsafe drivers, not for individuals facing financial hardship.
Economic Stability: Preventing people from driving undermines their ability to keep jobs and pay off debts.
Human Dignity: Driving is a necessity in rural Maine. Without it, many residents are cut off from healthcare, employment, and essential needs.
Other states; including California, Montana, and Mississippi; have already reformed these laws. It’s time for Maine to do the same.

 
Our Demand
We call on the Maine State Legislature to end the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for reasons unrelated to road safety, specifically:

• Unpaid fines or fees
• Lapsed car insurance (when not tied to unsafe driving)
• Missed child support payments
• License suspension should only happen when someone is a genuine danger on the road; not when they’re broke.

 
Driving is Survival
Driving in Maine is not a luxury; it is essential for work, family, and basic survival. Punishing poverty with license suspensions only deepens the hardship of those already struggling.

We, the undersigned, respectfully urge the Honorable Members of the Maine State Legislature to act now and reform these unjust, counterproductive laws.

 
Respectfully submitted,
Samantha Clayton
Petition Starter
[Supporters’ Signatures Below]