DENVER - Thanks to the efforts of Northern Colorado legislators, on Tuesday, Dec. 1, it becomes a Class A traffic offense for anyone under the age of 18 to talk on any cell phone - handheld or not - while driving. It also becomes illegal for anyone of any age to send text messages while behind the wheel in Colorado.

The change is the result of House Bill 09-1094, passed by the General Assembly in its last session, sponsored by Reps. Claire Levy, D-Boulder; Randy Fischer and John Kefalas, and by Sen. Bob Bacon, all D-Fort Collins.

Under the new law, entering data into a mobile phone while driving becomes a primary offense, and first-time offenders will be fined $50. The fine doubles to $100 for a second or subsequent offense.

The new law was passed after a number of highway fatalities in the state resulted from drivers multitasking behind the wheel. Research shows that drivers on cell phones are four times more likely to be in an accident, and that 66 percent of drivers 18 to 24 years old have been sending or receiving text messages while driving.

A 2002 study showed that talking on a cell phone was the cause of at least 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries annually.