I call that law a "feel good law". With as many car chases as California has, there's little chance that anyone will get nailed by that law. Of course, you have to realize that virtually every state has a law about keeping both hands on the wheel at all times (shifting gears is the obvious exception in a manual trans car). Pretty sure one hand on cell phone violates that two hands on the wheel law.
Law enforcement's answer to the enforcement of that law is, 'I have X number of officers, do you want me to investigate X number of murders, X number of rapes or X number of traffic stops?'
I'm not condoning messing with that guy in the porche but I do believe something needs to be done about inattentive drivers. And it's not just cell phone users, I'd go after people putting on make up, eating, reading, computing (that includes PDA use), and disciplining children just to name a few.
Perhaps, an organized effort by us, the motorcyclists of the world is in order. Perhaps it's time that all driving schools/courses include a motorcycle section so that cagers will understand that running over a motorcyclist regardless the reason is no different than murdering/manslaughtering another person.
Perhaps it's time for us to speak to our government officials (the ones that are supposed to be working for us all) that by making a section for motorcycles in the driving course for a car/truck/cdl license, they will be producing drivers that will be better drivers in general. When each of you is in your car/truck/whatever (ok. those that drive them), don't you employ many of the same tactics? When I'm in my truck, I'm still scanning the road and thinking what is that car at that driveway going to do or is that sports car crossing the road going to run the red light.
I think such a chapter in a driving course for cars with a gentle reminding in the beginning of the chapter about the punishment for running over a motorcyclist would have more people looking out of us.
Of course, I could be wrong.
