Mac Rumors Has It Wrong...Everyone Calm Down
If you read the actual PDF that is linked from the article you will see MR left out an important point that makes all the difference to the story.
"each testified that, while driving, appellant was cited for looking at a
map on his cellular phone while
holding the phone in his hand."
The law bars use of a mobile phone IN YOUR HAND.( I know this because I actually live in California). If your phone is on a mount and you touch the screen or interact, you will not get pulled over. That's why the Garmin units don't count. Because they are mounted in the car. I have even talked to police officers I know and they are looking for someone with a phone to their ear, in their hand or a their heads down operating something. They normally do not mess with someone touching something on their dash.
That doesn't mean it is any less distracting, it is just the way they enforce the law.
Some ass-hat in the state assembly is trying to get voice texting banned as well because it is "equally distracting".
That said I do agree with making things hands free. Why? Because of the number of times I have almost been run into and look at the driver and they have their heads facing their laps or are holding a phone to their ear. In fact I would say in my experience that 3/4 of the time some jackass almost runs into me they are frakking with a hand-held device of some sort.
And it isn't a nanny law. Technically a nanny law keeps you from doing something that would only harm yourself, like not wearing a seat belt. This law is meant to prevent you from KILLING another person because you couldn't put down your damn cell phone. That is fair. You cannot safely operate a vehicle with your head facing your lap.
MacRumors was sloppy in reporting this without providing the context to this story and clarifying how the existing law is enforced.
