Oct. 5, 2016 – According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, there were almost 21,000 speed-related and 5,000 alcohol-related crashes on public roads in Wisconsin in 2014. We drive the roads every day, and so do our clients. We need to keep up to speed with the rules and regulations.

It's all explained by experienced attorney-authors in Traffic Law and Practice in Wisconsin from State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE®, newly revised and expanded for 2016.

A Roadmap through the Twists and Turns of Wisconsin Traffic Law

For more than 30 years, Wisconsin attorneys, judges, and law enforcement officials have turned to Traffic Law and Practice in Wisconsin as a guide to the complex and sometimes volatile area of traffic law. Learn the proper avenues to pursue in dealing with traffic matters for yourself and your clients.

Traffic Law and Practice in Wisconsin takes a practical approach to the technical aspects of traffic law. This guide emphasizes solutions for resolving traffic cases and provides lawyers with the tools necessary to assist clients and protect their interests, including Department of Transportation charts and forms, contacts for traffic safety school, and detailed information on blood and breath alcohol testing. Lawyers of all experience levels will benefit from the practice tips contained in this book, designed to help attorneys provide efficient, high-value representation.

Essential for Answering Your Client's Questions

A longtime client calls you with questions regarding her son's recent automobile accident. Her son was using his cellphone when the accident happened. Your client has a lot of questions, including whether she is responsible for the financial costs caused by the accident.

• Can you use your phone while driving your car?
  It depends. Cell phones can often cause inattentive driving. Texting is not allowed while driving, but there are a few exceptions, including using a Global Positioning System (GPS). You can text while stopped at a red light, however, because the prohibition applies to when the vehicle is in motion. If your client's son has a probationary license, he is prohibited from using his cellphone while operating a motor vehicle; it doesn't matter if it's a hands-free device. There's an exception to the prohibition against using a cellphone, however, if the probationary licensee uses it to report an emergency.

• As a parent, is your client financially liable for damages incurred from the accident?
  As a parent or adult sponsor of a driver who is under 18 years of age, she would be responsible – up to a limit of $300,000 if the accident occurred on or after March 3, 2016.

Comprehensive Coverage

Initiated in 1984 by Professor Thomas J. Hammer, Traffic Law and Practice in Wisconsin is the combined effort of many experienced judges, defense attorneys, and Department of Transportation officials, who over the years have researched, written, and updated the invaluable information in this book.

This two-volume set covers the following topics:

• Wisconsin's Driver Licensing System
• Traffic Offenses Involving the Driving Privilege
• Commercial Driver Licensing
• Common Moving Traffic Violations
• Statutory Procedures for Traffic Violations
• Wisconsin's Impaired Driving Offenses
• Implied Consent and Chemical Tests for Intoxication
• Defense of Alcohol-Related Driving Offenses

The authors of the fifth edition are original contributor and municipal judge Todd E. Meurer, Department of Transportation Assistant General Counsel John J. Sobotik, and defense attorneys Andrew I. Martinez, Dennis M. Melowski, and Cole D. Ruby.

How to Order

Traffic Law and Practice in Wisconsin is available both in print and online via Books UnBound, the State Bar's interactive online library. The book costs $219 for members and $269 for nonmembers.

For more information, or to place an order, visit the WisBar Marketplace or call the State Bar at (800) 728-7788 or (608) 257-3838.

Subscribers to the Bar's automatic supplementation service will receive future updates at a discount off the regular price. Annual subscriptions to Books UnBound start at $159 per title (single-user price, call for full-library and law-firm pricing).