Re: Law-abiding majority 'is a myth'

On 26 Jun, 08:21, Peter Clinch <p.j.cli...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
fred wrote:
We've made our laws so oppressive, so all encompassing, so omnipresent
that we're becoming contemptuous of them. Maybe it's time to back off a
bit.

The trick is not to count numbers of laws, but the extent to which they
clash with the culture of the people they're applied to.

Case in point, when the culture of drink driving was that "one for the
road!" was widely held to be acceptable, the drink-driving laws were
widely flouted. After a considerable effort, drink driving has ceased
to be culturally accpetable in the mainstream of the UK population, and
as a result hardly anyone complains about it being law and much fewer
people seek to break it.

Currently the case that speeding is widely held to be acceptable, and
people complain bitterly about not being able to speed with relative
impunity. If the culture is changed (it may be happening) that will
cease to be an "oppressive" law. Nobody minds the numbers of laws on
stealing and killing, because they are seen to be wrong by most of the
people. But should I /really/ be prosecuted for, say, riding a bike
without a helmet on? There are places that happens.

Pete.

The speed limits have to make sense as well, speed vans like to place
themsleves (in North Wales anyway) were there are fast open roads,
knowing that people 'will make progress' there, easy money.

Bit like cyclist choosing which bits to obey ;-)

.

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