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No one ever said the law was simple. That’s a tense subject for Silicon Valley Mercury News columnist Gary Richards, who penned an editorial yesterday on California’s “confusing” distracted driving laws. At issue are loopholes that can hold drivers accountable for minor infractions while letting them off the hook for seriously dangerous behavior. While it’s important to point out the inconsistencies in California distracted driving laws that could limit their effectiveness, the editorial misses the point of distracted driving danger: instead of agonizing over these laws, just shut the phone down while you’re driving. That way, you won’t get a ticket, and you won’t get into a serious car accident.

As we wrote last week, the Bay Citizen news operation has developed a map of San Francisco bicycle accidents, complete with information on bicycle ridership, accident hot spots, and suggested improvements. But San Francisco is not the only city beefing up its bicycle accident statistics. In a unanimous decision this week, the New York City Council voted to collect monthly bicycle accident data in a resource searchable online. It’s a great idea, and raises the question of whether the SFPD should follow suit.

Even after a personal injury lawsuit is settled, it can take a long time for plaintiffs to receive their settlement or award. Often, this presents major problems for the plaintiff, who may have been seriously injured in the accident and is having trouble paying the bills. These plaintiffs face the difficult question of whether to accept loans from high-interest legal financing companies, the subject of a major New York Times story this weekend. While the companies provide much-needed funds in difficult times, they are mostly unregulated by state and federal agencies, meaning they are not bound by financial ethics rules that govern banks.

One of the hallmarks of Bay Area legal news has announced a significant forum switch. Following the trend among nationwide newspapers and magazines, The Recorder, formerly a San Francisco daily newspaper, announced that it will beef up its website to integrate more static blog and multimedia coverage, and reduce its print presence to a weekly product.