There's no question that using a cell phone while driving increases one's danger of causing an accident.

The issue confronting state and local governments across the country is whether that increased danger warrants passing laws against cell phone use by motorists.

Our preference would be to see people exercise personal responsibility when it comes to cell phones and driving, rather than see governments impose laws seeking to force responsible behavior.

The fact is, there has long been a litany of potential distractions for drivers -- stereos and food, for example -- and there's probably no way for laws to be crafted to address all of them.

The issue has been in the news recently in Wyoming as the Cheyenne City Council joined its counterpart in Rock Springs in adopting a ban on the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. In Casper, city government may consider a policy outlining when, if ever, it's acceptable for city employees to use cell phones while operating city vehicles.

The latter issue stems in part from a city resident's complaint that a police officer who was talking on a cell phone ignored a bicyclist stopped at a crosswalk.

Just about every driver could recount a similar story of observing another motorist acting irresponsibly behind the wheel likely as a result of being distracted by a cell phone. Law enforcement officials confirm that cell phone use is an increasing factor in accidents. In the last year, at least a couple of young people have died in Wyoming as a result of crashes caused by texting while driving.

Texting is more of a hazard for drivers than is talking on a cell phone, as the former involves looking away from the road ahead -- even for the most adept teenage texter. Yet citing someone for texting while driving would be much more difficult for a police officer, because texting generally takes place out of view.

Difficulty of enforcement is one of the arguments against hand-held cell phone bans for motorists. Plus, do we really want to throw that additional duty at our police officers, when they already have more than enough laws to enforce?

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, states including Maine, New Hampshire and Utah treat cell phone use as a larger distracted driving issue. Utah considers speaking on a cell phone to be an offense only if a driver is also committing some other moving violation (other than speeding).

Six states and the District of Columbia prohibit all drivers from talking on hand-held cell phones while driving. No state completely bans all types of cell phone use (hand-held and hands-free) for all drivers, but many prohibit cell phone use by certain segments of the population -- novice drivers, in particular.

Eighteen states and the District of Columbia now ban text messaging for all drivers, and nine states prohibit texting by novice drivers.

Before Wyoming or any of its local governments follow suit, they should research the nature and scope of the problems caused by cell phone use by drivers, as well as study effective methods for enforcing any bans. Media campaigns could be launched to inform the public of the dangers caused by drivers using cell phones. That might be a more effective way to change behavior than imposing a ban.

Parents should also work to ensure safe driving practices by their teens, and set a good example by not using cell phones while driving. That seems to be the best way to address the problem.