Wisconsin would become the 16th state to limit or ban cell phone use by teen drivers

Teenage drivers would have to put down their cell phones when behind the wheel under a bill introduced in the Legislature. If passed and signed into law, Wisconsin would become the 16th state to limit or ban cell phone use by teen drivers, according to the National Council of State Legislatures. The push to ban cell phone use has been increasing nationwide with mounting evidence that talking on a mobile phone impairs a driver's ability to operate a vehicle safely and because younger drivers account for a disproportionate amount of accidents. Attempts to limit drivers’ cell phone use have a long, and unsuccessful, history in Wisconsin. Legislation to ban all drivers from using cell phones did not even get a hearing in 1997 and 1999. The teen driving restriction has been introduced every session since 2001 but failed to pass despite no opposition from cell phone companies.