May 6, 2010—Wis. Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill into legislation Wednesday that prohibits text messaging while operating a motor vehicle. This makes Wisconsin the sixth state to pass such a bill this year, and the 25th state nationwide.
Wisconsin's law will become effective November 1, 2010. The following states, including the District of Colombia, now prohibit text messaging while driving: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
AAA, which has been campaigning for all states to outlaw texting while driving, hailed the move.
"Texting while driving is associated with significant physical and cognitive distractions and the proliferation of the practice is endangering all users of our nation's roadways,” said AAA President and CEO Robert Darbelnet. “Surveys show the overwhelming majority of Americans agree that this behavior is dangerous and they support text messaging bans.”
"Wisconsin gets us halfway to AAA's campaign goal,” Darbelnet added.
