I've come to believe that police have neither the manpower nor the inclination to enforce the hand-held phoning while driving ban.
That doesn't take away from the law, Simitian observed. People speed, but that doesn't mean speed limits don't serve a purpose.
Rader wondered if the hand-held ban simply has led to more use of hands-free devices. Since studies show that hands-free phone calls also distract drivers, the hands-free ban may provide a distinction without a difference.
But don't expect Sacramento to ban drivers' use of hands-free phones. Enforcing such a ban would be mission impossible. Besides: "It's a political nonstarter," Simitian told me -- from his hands-free phone.
And he should know.