I'd like to know how one county can create a law like this? So drivers are now supposed to know the driving laws for EACH COUNTY now?

BTW if I have to keep both hands on the steering wheel, how am I going to shift gears? Or turn in the headlights when it gets dark? Turn on the defroster?

talkincarallthetime read you're own post and then at the end say to yourself (ya can't fix stupid)

What about the cops using there laptops or the radios in there cursers. Ban one form, ban them all.

There aren't anymore accidents happening today than there was in the past. Cell phones are just the scape goat since the other things that distract people can't be controlled. The next thing you will get ticketed for is if you have a family crisis and can't think straight.

vanillabean - Your data is correct that the conversation distraction is the problem, not holding the cell phone. So then, this ban won't help anything. Hands free conversations are just as dangerous.
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Politicians should be looking at much stricter penalties for accidents, (including for drunk driving), instead of taking more of personal liberties and personal responsibility away and treating us all like children.

It's not actually the idea of having the cell phone that is the distraction. It is the actual conversation that is distracting to the driver. They are into the conversation that they are blocking a good portion of things on the road. I think it is a great idea they they are banning this.

I see the point but its stupid, how many drivers out there drive with one hand on the wheel anyhow. Next there will be a ticket for 200 buck for that too

Can I use my cell phone to call an emergency number to report someone using their cell phone?

Handsfree works for me...

I don't use my cell much when I'm in the car, but I decided last week that I would no longer use it at all while driving. I was texting my husband, which I'm pretty good at while driving, when I heard the squeal of tires. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a cloud of smoke and then a car jumped the curb and started to take off. A squad was hot on their tail. That car could of hit me. It wasn't very close to me but I bet it had been weaving and although I saw it drive past me, I wasn't paying enough attention to notice if it was weaving. It shook me up a bit and I realized that my text message wasn't as important as my life. No more cell in the car for me, unless I'm parked.

RetiredAirForce, you are correct that a variety of things have been blamed for distracting drivers, but number of accidents caused by signs, eating, adjusting radio, etc, are minimal compared to accidents caused by cell phone use, so it makes sense to ban cell phones and not food, etc. Now if only we could deal with the number 1 cause, drunk driving.

Retartedairforce is missing the point. There are any number of distractions that make driving attentively difficult, none of which are any better or worse than another. However, the fact the the use of cell phones, texting, emailing etc. drastically has increased traffic incidents and accidents is undisputable.

Well RetiredAirforce, the last 3 cars that pulled out in front of me with out looking were not eating French fries or reading a billboard they were to busy gabbing on their phones to look left to see if there was any oncoming traffic. Take a good look the next time someone pulls a boneheaded traffic move on you, my bets are 9 out of the 10 times they are on their cell phones, not eating a piece of pizza or adjusting their cruse control. That or you must never dive down Milton avenue or anywhere else in Janesville.

Yep we should also ban road signs, they are distracting. Next drive in food, don't want a driver eating fries when he/she should be paying attention. Better get rid of the radio, cruise control, heat and A/C buttons. Yes drivers can't be trusted to make the right choices.....how insane! C'mon people do you really think people that become distracted by a cell phone will not be distracted by something else?

Why do people think they're so important that they need to have a phone with them 24/7? They aren't.

Yea but I have seen Rock Count officers driving down the road talking on their cell phones also. Who is going to police the police? I have a hands free device and I find that even using that is distracting when in city driving. Just let it go to voicemail and return the call when you are not driving. I can not even count the near misses for accidents lately and EVERY ONE involved the other person on a cell phone. Hang up and Drive!!

I agree with the laws intent especially the text messaging but have some reservations about cell phone usage because I can now see cars pulled/parked 1/2 way off the roadway and people answering phones that don't have speaker phone capabilities causing another hazard to travelers.

A more thorough examination of the law enacted and they would have included a larger penalty than what currently exist for those not parked completely off the roadway before answering/talking.

Please, please, please Rock county and the rest of the state please pass a law like this one and enforce it. I'd also like to see suspensions for repeat offenders and younger drivers.