I suspect overblown fears. Folks, read eval and pay close attention to the fact that when you eval a block it is resolved at compile time and it is fast. In fact it should be be both faster and more reliable than throwing and rethrowing signal handlers. (As well as a heck of a lot simpler.)

Oh, you might also pay attention to the suggested use of local $SIG{__DIE__} handlers within an eval as a work around when other people get it wrong. That is slower, but working around other people's mistakes generally is.