By an 8-0 vote Tuesday, the council booted the suggestion from the Mayor's Office back to a steering committee for more study.

Before the vote, the county's chief administrative officer cited a stream of studies suggesting drivers are four times as likely to crash if talking on a mobile phone.

"Reaction time is as bad or worse as someone who is legally drunk," Doug Willmore argued.

If so, "wouldn't we see a rise in accidents?" Council Chairman Michael Jensen asked, adding he hasn't seen such evidence.

Mayor Peter Corroon acknowledged the hole in the argument - "it is not based on anything we've seen in the county," he said - but suggested the government be proactive.

The proposal would restrict county employees from using a county-issued cell phone while driving or personal cell phone if the conversation included county business.

It would apply to hand-held phones and hands-free devices. Sheriff's deputies and a handful of communication-critical roles would be exempt.

Willmore and Corroon floated the idea to address what they say is a growing trend of employers being held legally liable for cell phone-related car accidents.

But the plan has yet to be presented to employee groups. And such a ban, they acknowledge, could lead to a drop in productivity.

Councilwoman Jenny Wilson suggested it also may be too extreme to restrict calls to a spouse on the way home from work.

Councilman Randy Horiuchi offered tepid support - "this may not be the most popular thing in the world, but we ought to be taking the lead" - but said the popularity of the phones creates a dilemma.

In fact, he joked, some people want them protected like guns.

"Pry my cold dead hands from my cell phone," he quipped, invoking the National Rifle Association slogan.

The proposal could come back before the council later this spring.

djensen@sltrib.com