The surest way to halt the reckless behavior of businesses that employ traveling sales crews is for all of us to pitch in and deprive them of the two things they require: Employees and customers.

That's worth remembering amid the disappointment that followed Senate passage last week of legislation to regulate traveling sales crews. The legislation, pushed by Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl, received criticism for being too weak to prevent businesses from abusing young people hired to sell magazines and other products in traveling crews. Tougher legislation would have been better -- and still may be possible through the House version of the bill -- though Kohl deserves credit for gaining as much as he did: The bill would prohibit anyone under age 18 from working for door-to-door sales crews that spend more than 24 hours on the road at a time.

Nonetheless, legislation is only one way -- and not the most conclusive way -- to crack down on traveling sales crew businesses. Every Wisconsin household can help shut these businesses down. Let us repeat the advice the Wisconsin State Journal Opinion page has given before.

First, young people and their parents should reject the recruiting pitches of traveling sales crews. Ads often refer to travel, wealth and scholarships, but all too often young people end up broke, stranded or worse -- the victims of assault or accident.

If you have been contacted by a recruiter, call state consumer protection officials at (800) 422-7128. They can offer information about consumer complaints against the businesses and the dangers of joining a crew.

Second, don't buy from a traveling sales crew. The sales pitches are almost always misrepresentations. If a salesperson shows up at your door, and you feel comfortable enough to offer help, provide the phone number for Parent Watch, a nonprofit clearing house for information about the abuse of young people in the traveling sales crew industry. That number is (212) 666-4221.

In addition, call the authorities to report that a door-to-door crew is in your neighborhood. A police officer can check whether the business has a permit in your community, if one is required, as in Madison. If the salesperson is under 18, the police can determine if the business has the proper certification for employment of minors.

Cracking down on traveling sales crews holds special importance for Wisconsin. Three years ago a van rolled over on Interstate 90 near Janesville, killing seven young members of a traveling sales crew. The van was driven by a 20-year-old serial traffic offender whose driver's license was suspended. The company employing the crew was cited by state officials for 92 violations of employment and wage laws.

After that crash, Wisconsin gained a reputation as hostile ground for traveling crews. But this spring crews began to creep back into the state.

Kohl originally wanted his bill to require businesses to pay traveling sales crews minimum wage and overtime compensation and to create a federal licensing system to monitor door-to-door sales operations. But Kohl dropped those provisions after he determined he lacked the votes for a stronger bill.

Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., has introduced similar legislation in the House. That bill offers an opportunity to strengthen the Kohl bill provisions, though the House is several months from a vote on it.

Meantime, you have the power to crack down on traveling sales crews more effectively than Congress can. Don't buy from traveling crews, and don't permit family members to join them.