As of Wednesday, you can't legally talk on the cell phone while driving through a work zone without a hands-free device.
Governor Scott Walker signed a bill authored by Senator Jerry Petrowski and Representative John Spiros aimed at improving the safety of the traveling public and those working in highway construction, maintenance, or utility work zones.
Petrowski says the law was necessary to ensure the safety of both the drivers and the construction crews by placing limits on phone use.
"This is something that's been worked on over the last few years, and what it really does is it restricts hand-held cellphone use in a work or construction zone when there are workers present."
Last year, three construction workers were killed on the job in Wisconsin. Two of them are from north central Wisconsin. 30-year-old Derek Stempa of Shawano was flagging traffic in a construction zone on Highway 47 when he was hit by a minivan last May. 50-year-old Marcus Wydeven of Tomahawk was killed while flagging traffic at Highway 17 and Smith Road in Lincoln County last July.
Petrowski says the new law should help people realize how dangerous it is if you're focused on the phone more than the work zone traffic.
