A state senator wants to institute a three strikes law for drivers caught talking or texting on their cell phones.

State Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex) introduced a bill earlier this month that would suspend the licenses of three-time offenders of the state’s ban on driving while talking or texting on a handheld device. A parallel bill was proposed in the lower house on Monday by Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-Union).

The bill would keep the current fine of $100 in place for the first offense, but increase it to $250 the second time and $500 the third time, in addition to the suspension.

Drivers who go 10 years between offenses would not face the increased penalty.

New Jersey first banned driving while using a hand held device in 2004, but police did not have the authority to pull drivers over for that reason alone until 2008.

The state does not ban driving while talking on a hands-free device, though many crashes have involved them as well. In 2008, 1,821 crashes involved handheld devices, while another 1,383 involve hands free.

Since 2002, 10,878 crashes have involved handheld cell phone use, 31 of them fatal, according to statistics from the state Department of Transportation and the Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

(Source: NJ Star Ledger)