Gov. LePage took another swing at common sense when he vetoed the bill that would ban the use of handheld cellphones while driving. He rejects the notion of “social engineering” while he enjoys most types of reasonable social engineering every time he crosses a crosswalk. What would he call a sidewalk, a traffic light or a stop sign? Interference in the libertarian ideal?

I have witnessed firsthand the results of distracted driving, and all too often it ends in the death of a pedestrian or cyclist. According to the World Health Organization, nearly half of those dying on the world’s roads are “vulnerable road users”: pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

As an avid cyclist, I have sometimes had motorists “brush” me with their cars, only to jerk back their steering wheel at the last moment to save themselves from going in the ditch. Does the governor need to experience the death of a loved one on a bicycle before he realizes that a distracted driver is as dangerous as a loaded gun? The average weight of an automobile is over 4,000 pounds. It does not take much of a distraction for that car to become a lethal weapon.

Wake up, Governor, before someone you truly care about becomes another highway statistic.

Tracy Floyd

Cape Elizabeth