As state policymakers consider ways to keep habitual offenders of motor-vehicle laws off the road, they must ensure that their solutions are practical and will solve the problem without creating more. Increasing fines and penalties is a good place to start.

A review of state motor vehicle laws was prompted by a July accident on Interstate 95 in Hallowell in which Scott Hewitt of Caribou drove his tractor trailer truck into the back of a car driven by Tina Turcotte of Scarborough. She died of her injuries two days later. Mr. Hewitt, who had formed his own trucking company, had 63 convictions and 23 license suspensions in Maine and other states dozens, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. His Maine license and registration were both under suspension when the accident occurred. He was arrested on Aug. 6 for driving his pickup truck in Presque Isle and remains in jail.

In the wake of the accident, Gov. John Baldacci asked relevant state agencies to review current laws and policies to see if they should be changed. That group met once and is expected to convene again this week. Lawmakers have also called for changes.

One of the most straightforward suggestions so far comes from Sen. Bill Diamond, a former secretary of state. He would increase the penalties for those who continue to drive after their licenses have been suspended. For example, drivers who accumulate more than eight suspensions in three years would lose their license for five years and go to jail for two years if they are caught driving during this time.

Under current law, the minimum fine for driving after suspension for the first time is $250; for subsequent offenses, it’s $500, neither of which may be suspended by the court. The penalties are much stiffer is a license is suspended because a driver was convicted of operating under the influence.

Sen. Diamond has the right approach in toughening the penalty. The problem with jail time, however, is that county jails are already overcrowded. Further, traffic violations have always been a low priority on crowded court dockets with district attorneys devoting more time to sex offender and drug cases.

Before going to this extreme, the state should begin by significantly increasing the fines for driving after suspension. The idea is to make people who currently view a driver’s license as optional understand that this is not the case. Would a fine of $1,000 do that? How about $2,000?

Last year, nearly 71,000 Maine residents had their licenses suspended. According to Secretary of State Office estimates, 68,000 drivers have had their licenses suspended five times and 8,00 drivers have had their license suspended 15 or more times. There are 984,000 people with Maine driver’s licenses.

Those working on the problem can learn from the crackdown on drunk driving. Steep fines, license suspensions and jail time have sharply reduced the incidence of drunk driving. Public condemnations and liability threats against bartenders also helped.

Similar steps could help here as well.