The political will to solve a problem too often only materializes in the wake of tragedy.

That’s why it’s hard to celebrate the recently completed recommendations for cracking down on Maine’s dangerous drivers – they came too late to prevent Tina Turcotte’s death.

She was killed when a trucker with an unimaginably poor driving record and a suspended driver’s license ran over her car as it slowed for a construction zone on the Maine Turnpike.

The recommendations are good, but we cannot forget the obvious: The problem of suspended motorists continuing to drive has existed for years. The Sun Journal wrote about the problem in connection with convicted drunken drivers several years ago, and we revisited that story a month before Turcotte was killed.

We pointed out that two local people who had killed other people with their cars while under the influence had recently been caught driving again, despite having their licenses suspended.

The Legislature and governor had plenty of opportunity to act on this problem before Tina Turcotte died.

Still, the recommendations provide a good starting point. They call for harsher and longer prison sentences for repeat offenders. They would allow the state to permanently revoke the driving licenses of the state’s worst offenders. They would allow police to confiscate or immobilize vehicles used by those who drive while under license suspension.

Good ideas all, but not good enough. The governor has asked for comments, and we’ll oblige:

First, the state must find a way to get around the asinine federal law that prevents the Bureau of Motor Vehicles from releasing the names of the state’s worst 100 drivers.

The trucker who ran his rig over Tina Turcotte was driving again within days of the accident, again without a driver’s license. He was caught because a citizen called police to turn him in. The citizen only knew to call police because of media reports about the trucker’s fatal accident.

Imagine how much more effective this law would be if neighbors knew the guy living down the street wasn’t supposed to be driving.

Second, people who have had their licenses permanently suspended should be required to register with local police when they move to a new community. One of our local chronic drunken drivers had changed her name and moved to another town before hitting the bottle and the road again.

Third, we need to figure out why Tina Turcotte was, apparently, killed by a computer glitch. The trucker had been stopped in New York state the day before he plowed his truck into the 40-year-old woman’s car.

However, police there say, a computer background check failed to show that he had an extensive record and was driving under a suspended license. So, he was allowed to continue on his merry way.

If banks can instantly and reliably check the balance on your charge account, why don’t police have a reliable system for checking on the validity of a driver’s license?

Fourth, identifying the 100 worst drivers is a good start, but it’s an arbitrary mark. We need an ongoing way to identify to the police and public dangerous drivers who have had their licenses permanently revoked.

Again, we are pleased and relieved to see the governor’s determination to solve this problem. With a bit more work, we can have a law that prevents other tragic accidents and deaths.