All for it as long as they strictly enforce it for the two worst offenders of cell phone use while driving, police and truck drivers. I can't remember the last time I saw either one speeding past me without a cell phone glued to their ear.

I'm still a bit puzzled about the proposed hands-free ban portion. My husband's Land Rover is equipped with a voice-command system; he never touches the phone but instead directs the car to dial, then he speaks normally (speaker in steering wheel) and the car's speakers project the other person's voice. It's like talking to a passenger - so is that the next thing on the ban list?

Facts:

1) Talking on a phone (including hands free) is the same as driving drunk. This has been reproduced in simulators in several studies.

2) Cell phone talkers slow down traffic and average of 4 miles per hour. This has been measured on the highway.

It's only a matter of time before the Auto Insurance Industry puts this issue to bed. Once drivers start getting hit with three-year high-risk-driver 50% premium hikes for getting caught using their cellphones behind the wheel the silence will be deafening. All it takes is one little notation in their personal driving record.

"Rather than prohibit using cellphones, we should continue to educate the public about the dangers of using cellphones while driving,"

This is totally naive. People who are texting while driving know it's dangerous, but they think they are exempt. 'It's other people that are the problem.'

The police can't enforce this except in the case of an accident when serious penalties could be applied to cell phone users. Standard accident investigation procedure should include access to cell phone records.

The real solution is for the Federal government to require tamper proof jammers to be installed in new cars. In 7 or 8 years, the problem would essentially be gone.

I suspect that we will eventually have cars, or gadgets that can be installed in cars, which will block driver use of cell phones and other devices while the vehicle is moving. It might also be possible to have a system that WILL enable drivers in moving vehicles to use cell phones when "911" is dialed in an emergency. As a person who has had several close calls with distracted drivers, I'd be all for it.

If this was passed then it would give some legal rights to those folks who have lost family members becasue of someone who was texting or driving while talking on their cell phone. Here in South Carolina, since it is not illegal to text or to talk on a cell phone, if an individual kills someone ... like recently happened ... all they get is a fine of $125.00 and 2 points.

This needs to be passed ... even if it will be impossible to enforce, just so that families will have legal rights for compensation.

Or you can just do what I do, when I see someone on their phone, I just continue to honk my horn. I want to make sure that they know that I'm around.

CAN WE PLEASE OUTLAW SMOKING IN CARS??? Why are people allowed to smoke in cars? Does any agency even bother to find out how many accidents are caused by people lighting, holding, smoking, dropping and burning themselves and the car seats and then throwing out the window their cigarettes?

I remember when texting while driving was banned in my state. The local TV station did some interviews with people and asked them what they thought. One young woman said she would not stop. She said she would simply save up her money to pay the fine if caught. It's $100 I think.

It has also been shown that having children in the car is far more distracting than anything else. If you have kids you know this. Actually TALKiNG on the phone is not the problem. It's the dialing and taking your eyes and thoughts off driving. I dislike talking on my phone while driving and just don't do it most of the time. I never dial a number but I do occasionally answer a call. I use a Bluetooth headset.

We don't need another law that people will ignore anyway. We need to educate drivers. I'm 60 years old and have been driving legally since I was 14. I have never had a moving accident. Not my fault nor anyone else's. I have driven many, many miles over the years. But when I took drivers Ed we were taught that a car was a death weapon. That it was our responsibility to drive not only for ourselves but for everyone else on the road too. To pay attention all the time to everything around us. I had a friend one time tell me I was a "very focused" driver. Well, DUH.

People have very busy lives now but we need EDUCATION, EDUCATION EDUCATION. People need it slammed in their faces the ramifications of driving while distracted. Just like it has been done with DUIs. It won't stop everyone but then nothing will, especially a new law.

I'm totally opposed to cellphone use while driving. As a motorist for half a century and as a former crime reporter who's seen hundreds of accident scenes and read thousands of accident reports, I think most such calls are totally unnecessary. Having said that, I also realize the bigger picture. Congress is seeking to divert attention from its total lack of constructive ability to run the country by making this a major issue as Americans head into the election cycle.

Just a few weeks ago, the government said the number of deaths – and deaths relative to the total population – has declined over the last two decades. From 1979 to 2005, the number of deaths per year decreased 14.97% while the number of deaths per capita decreased by 35.46%. Traffic fatalities in 2010 were the lowest in 62 years. Thus, while the accident that killed two motorists and injured some 35 others is regretable, it's far from being even a true knee-jerk reaction to a problem. The two biggest causes of vehicular death are cars and poor driving decisions by people. Neither of which can be removed from the driving equation. Congress members should stop pretending to do meaningful work and instead either handle the major issues or find other work.

Want to solve the problem? It's easy. 5 yrs for a finder bender. 15 yrs for each injured person. 25 yrs for each dead person. Then people would think before talking.

Will this law make Automakers Recall every vehicle sold with a built in handsfree device???

Just imagine that.....

make the fine 5000.00$ see how fast people stop talking!

It is sad when there has to be legislation against stupidity. Every one know's "you can't fix stupid!"

Make the fines for causing a crash while on the phone VERY HIGH. At least, the very stupid will pay for it.

When police pull someone over for an offense or they investigate an accident, they routinelydo a sobriety test. Why not also do a "distraction" test if they are suspicious that the person was using a communication device while driving. Make it easy for police to request cell phone use records and require that cell carriers cooperate. If someone was using their device during the time of the accident or traffic offense, triple the fine ,points, etc on their license. Make the penalty onerous and it will reduce ( not eliminate ) distracted driving.

Dodge County Sheriff's office is small....real small. Sheriff Nehls obviously hasn't checked an accident in a number of years and his views do not reflect the rest of Law Enforcement in the USA. A county with 9 fatality accidents in one year is peanuts compared to Milwaukee County and other areas. Why WTMJ contacted him is another mystery other than he likes seeing his name in print. He is after all another politician.

Simply create a legal presumption of reckless driving by the cell phone user if an accident occurred. Damage suits soon would eliminae the practice for all but the most unintelligent drivers.

So are they also going to ban all other distractions for drivers: eating, drinking, changing the radio, finding a different CD, talking kids in the back seat, smoking, putting on make up, reading, shaving, etc ... these can all be just as distracting if not more so. Providing better education for drivers would be a better use of funds. Or is this just a way for municipalities to have another reason to ticket folks and generate revenue?

You know how many times I am on the freeway or road and people are talking on their cellphones and don't even see me. Completely oblivious! If I had a dime for every time this has happened I'd be rich.

oh please, this wouldn't make their jobs any harder. Heck the local police in my area recently paid money to get camera's mounted on squad cars that can scan and record every single license plate that goes by the patrol car and alert the officer if the owner is wanted, if the vehicle has unpaid parking tickets, or any other offense all based off the plate, so those camera's could also be used to scan the people they pass if they are driving and alert the officers that a law is being broken(and the company making those camera's state that it is easily possible to do just that as well, all it would take is an update to the software). The police have an easier time doing their job now, thanks to those camera's. Plus all they have to do is use those camera's, take a picture of it, and send the ticket through the mail like they do now with traffic camera's. Making it harder my behind, there is technology already available that they use already to enforce this. I swear the police have it made these days when it comes to enforcing piddly little stupid laws.

If cell phones are banned, so too must be car radios, truckers on the CB, eating and drinking. And yes, I'll sheepishly admit that I occasionally take my eyes off the road to look at the rear view mirror, speedometer and odometer. The horror.

This is a complete waste of time. How are the police going to be able to tell if I am talking on the phone through the blue tooth in my rear view mirror or just singing to the radio? What is next, banning talking to the other people in the car, changing the radio station? Get real. I heard 3,000 people died in the US in 2010 due to distracted driving. That is 3,000 drivers out of what, 100 million drivers? Like the Milwaukee sheriff said, millions of people use their cell phones every day without a problem. You can't take stupidity of ouf society throught legislation.

first...i don't even own a cell phone....with all the phone apps we here about how about a mandatory app loaded into a cell phone that senes when the car your in is running??? should be workable...

I think the law would be impossible to enforce but there is another avenue that could be instituted. Make the penalties for causing an accident while texting or talking the same as they are for a dui. The calls and texts are time stamped so it would be resonably easy to determine what actually happened. All the blather from the personal responsability crowd would be tamped down and maybe it would drive home to all the texting nitwits that there are real consequences to their actions

Phones don't kill people. Dumba$$ drivers kill people.