A recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial calls for tougher laws on texting and cell phone use while driving.  Several other states have passed legislation limiting the use of cell phones while behind the wheel, and the U.S. Senate is considering a federal ban on texting while driving. The editorial calls on Wisconsin to set strict limits on using mobile devices while operating a vehicle.

Federal legislation is appropriate, but Wisconsin can act on its own: Legislators should stop nibbling around the edges and, at the very least, ban texting by all drivers and ban the use of cell phones by drivers who have just obtained their driver’s licenses. Increasing fines for inattentive driving and presuming that the use of a cell phone is cause for a determination of inattentive driving also would be good steps. 

We all know using cell phones while driving can be dangerous, and recent studies have shown that texting while driving can be more dangerous than driving drunk.  Cell phones, PDAs and other mobile devices have changed the way people communicate, but how should the use of these technologies be limited to keep the roads safe?