Beginning today, drivers caught texting and  driving in New Jersey will face penalties between $200-$400 for a first offense, up from $100.  A second offense is between $400 and $600, and the third time, not a charm, with a fine of up to $800 and the possibility of a suspended license. “We’re sending a message,” State Senator Richard Codey remarked. “We’ve had enough and the people who text and talk on their handheld cell phones are the new drunk drivers in terms of severity and danger in what they create on the roads.”

New Jersey officials say distracted driving has been linked to one and a half million crashes in the state in the past decade.