Motorcyclists are second class citizens. Or worse.

However you look at it, we get a raw deal as motorcyclists.

• We're forced to sit in traffic amongst other cars, breathing their fumes instead of carefully using the space between the cars (unless you live in California or somewhere else civilized)
• Our insurance rates are much larger than every other vehicle user on the road
• Governments keep trying to implement laws (like type approval) that seek to prevent you from doing anything interesting with your bike

And now, apparently, it's OK to hunt us.

OK, that's a bit harsh, but take the very recent case of off-duty UK policewoman, Collette Carpenter. Ms Carpenter apparently pulled out of a side road last year and hit the Honda CBF1000 ridden by David Bartholomew. Now, at 54 years of age, Mr Bartholomew was not an inexperienced rider. Police have also confirmed that Mr Bartholomew was not speeding either at the time of the accident. He also had the right of way.

Ms Carpenter was entirely to blame for the crash, it seems. She failed to observe the legally ridden motorcycle before she hit him. Why? It turns out Ms Carpenter was on the phone. She initially claimed she wasn't, but later changed her story. She claimed it was a short call and that the phone was on speaker in her lap. Whilst this is technically legal in the UK, the police also have the power to ticket anyone they believe is distracted in any way. How are they capable of doing that when one of their own doesn't even recognize they are distracted?

And moreover, distracted or not, doesn't the driver pulling out of the intersection has a duty of care to the road user with the right of way? As a trained officer, how is is possible that Ms Carpenter failed to notice Mr Bartholomew? Even the chief examiner for Dorest police, PC John Hayward, suggested to the coroner that the phone call almost certainly led to her being distracted.

So how is it she walked away without charges or censure of any kind? Distracted or not, she killed a man due to her negligence. When did that become OK?

Ms Carpenter is not the first. and she won't be the last. A few years ago, an Illinois woman hit and killed another motorcyclists whilst applying nail polish. http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7508040&page=1.

Depsite laws to the contrary, I constantly see drivers using cellphones to their ears, eating donuts, applying cosmetics and even reading books and newspapers whilst driving. And while cellphone use without handsfree equipment is illegal in Ontario, I am utterly apalled when I see our police officers using phones whilst driving. Apparently, that's some form of loophole which recognize officers may need it to summon aide. Don't they have radios for that? Besides, sat at one set of lights, I overheard one officer talking about what he wanted for dinner. That did not sound like a necessary call to me. I only wish I'd been able to get his badge number.

The research is simple and easy to understand (http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/Distracted_Driving/Pages/DistractedDrivingResearchandStatistics.aspx). Using a cellphone distracts the driver. As some of the the most vulnerable road users, we feel that distraction disproportionately as we're shoved into ditches or under the wheels of a truck by drivers who claim they've not seen us.

The official response is usually the same: Raise our insurance, tell us to wear high-viz clothing and generally do anything but enforce the rules that already exist. Just imagine a world where the police were so vigilant with road laws as they are with speeding. Life would be so much better, and maybe we'd cease to be prey.