I don't want to break the law.
Discussion
I don't want to break the law, but how do I know?
Take a simple thing like number plates, there appears to be a whole volume of regulation that states what I must/must not do (size, font, reflectiveness, year, postcode, positioning, etc.)
Just how am I - or Mr Plod - know if I am actually complying with the law or not? Is my new number plate (replaceing a broken one at one end of my car) legal or not... Halfords may or may not be right.
And that is just number plates - forget every other aspect of my life. Is there anyone alive who actually knows what laws must be obeyed in detail?
Take a simple thing like number plates, there appears to be a whole volume of regulation that states what I must/must not do (size, font, reflectiveness, year, postcode, positioning, etc.)
Just how am I - or Mr Plod - know if I am actually complying with the law or not? Is my new number plate (replaceing a broken one at one end of my car) legal or not... Halfords may or may not be right.
And that is just number plates - forget every other aspect of my life. Is there anyone alive who actually knows what laws must be obeyed in detail?
The vast majority of it is common sense.
To follow your EG of number plates, any reputable shop that makes them up will sell you legal ones, and tell you that they're for "show use only" if they're not legal. What you choose t do with them afterwards is up to you.
Similarly for other vehicle modifications, the garage will fit OEM parts that don't require you to have the vehicle re-tested or declarations made to your insurers. If you go outside this, then it's up to you to research the legalities and conseuences.
As for the wider rule of law... It's just simple morals. You know what is right and wrong, mostly the law folows these guidelines with a few extra bells and whistles.
Specialist law, such as Workplace safety and Tax law become important depending on your field of work, and people are paid more for certain roles as their responsibilites demand a working knowledge of the laws. Most of it will never affect most of us.
To follow your EG of number plates, any reputable shop that makes them up will sell you legal ones, and tell you that they're for "show use only" if they're not legal. What you choose t do with them afterwards is up to you.
Similarly for other vehicle modifications, the garage will fit OEM parts that don't require you to have the vehicle re-tested or declarations made to your insurers. If you go outside this, then it's up to you to research the legalities and conseuences.
As for the wider rule of law... It's just simple morals. You know what is right and wrong, mostly the law folows these guidelines with a few extra bells and whistles.
Specialist law, such as Workplace safety and Tax law become important depending on your field of work, and people are paid more for certain roles as their responsibilites demand a working knowledge of the laws. Most of it will never affect most of us.
eldar said:
And that is just number plates - forget every other aspect of my life. Is there anyone alive who actually knows what laws must be obeyed in detail?
I doubt there are very many people that know every law we should live our lives by. I must admit I was surprised to find out it was an offence to splash pedestrians by (accidentally) driving through puddles.With regard to plates. Check the sizes as shown above, but I would not think Halfords do anything but legal plates.
Do you mean just motoring laws?
How do you know them all? No-one does, Barristers of 10/20 years call still won't know everything, but the ones who know the most get to charge the most.. The law changes every month (new cases etc.. defining the interpretation of legislation) so the bottom line is, try and learn the odds and sods, but you'll never know even half of it.
How do you know them all? No-one does, Barristers of 10/20 years call still won't know everything, but the ones who know the most get to charge the most.. The law changes every month (new cases etc.. defining the interpretation of legislation) so the bottom line is, try and learn the odds and sods, but you'll never know even half of it.
WeirdNeville said:
The vast majority of it is common sense.
To follow your EG of number plates, any reputable shop that makes them up will sell you legal ones, and tell you that they're for "show use only" if they're not legal. What you choose t do with them afterwards is up to you.
Similarly for other vehicle modifications, the garage will fit OEM parts that don't require you to have the vehicle re-tested or declarations made to your insurers. If you go outside this, then it's up to you to research the legalities and conseuences.
As for the wider rule of law... It's just simple morals. You know what is right and wrong, mostly the law folows these guidelines with a few extra bells and whistles.
Specialist law, such as Workplace safety and Tax law become important depending on your field of work, and people are paid more for certain roles as their responsibilites demand a working knowledge of the laws. Most of it will never affect most of us.
Sort of common sense. I could buy 2 types of number plate. Proper legal ones, for which I have to provide my V5 and pay by credit card, or show or name plate - cheaper! - and looks identical to a real one, and no paperwork. To follow your EG of number plates, any reputable shop that makes them up will sell you legal ones, and tell you that they're for "show use only" if they're not legal. What you choose t do with them afterwards is up to you.
Similarly for other vehicle modifications, the garage will fit OEM parts that don't require you to have the vehicle re-tested or declarations made to your insurers. If you go outside this, then it's up to you to research the legalities and conseuences.
As for the wider rule of law... It's just simple morals. You know what is right and wrong, mostly the law folows these guidelines with a few extra bells and whistles.
Specialist law, such as Workplace safety and Tax law become important depending on your field of work, and people are paid more for certain roles as their responsibilites demand a working knowledge of the laws. Most of it will never affect most of us.
As I didn't have my V5 (I didn't know I needed it), I went for the cheap option. Is that wrong? Common sense says no, but I suspect some obscure law says I've done wrong
WeirdNeville said:
The vast majority of it is common sense.
To follow your EG of number plates, any reputable shop that makes them up will sell you legal ones, and tell you that they're for "show use only" if they're not legal.
My common sense is obviously lacking, could you explain that sentence? How can they be legal and not legal at the same time? Perhaps it's that the sentence construction does not meet the laws of grammar. To follow your EG of number plates, any reputable shop that makes them up will sell you legal ones, and tell you that they're for "show use only" if they're not legal.
- StreakyEdited by streaky on Sunday 6th January 17:21
SamHH said:
fluffnik said:
eldar said:
Just how am I - or Mr Plod - know if I am actually complying with the law or not?
By getting rid of the current mess and moving to something along the lines of "No thievery, no thuggery, the end".Just exaggerating
...slightly.
I think my flippant "No thievery, no thuggery, the end" is far closer to the ideal than the current mess of ill considered kneejerk responses.
streaky said:
eldar said:
The vast majority of it is common sense.
To follow your EG of number plates, any reputable shop that makes them up will sell you legal ones, and tell you that they're for "show use only" if they're not legal.
My common sense is obviously lacking, could you explain that sentence? How can they be legal and not legal at the same time? Perhaps it's that the sentence construction does not meet the laws of grammar. To follow your EG of number plates, any reputable shop that makes them up will sell you legal ones, and tell you that they're for "show use only" if they're not legal.
- StreakyIf you buy a set of plates which are legal then the shop will sell them to you to put on the car.
If you buy a set of plates which have dodgy gaps/spelling etc.. making them illegal then the shop will sell them to you however will say that they are for "show/off road use only" i.e. we will still sell them to you knowing that you will place them on your car and drive around illegally on them, but we will cover our a***es by advising you that those plates are not legal and for show purposes only so if you shove them on your car and get nicked, it's your problem pal. i.e. there are two different sets of plates being talked about, one perfectly legal and the other for show purposes only and dodgy as hell to use on the public highways.
Edited by Jasandjules on Saturday 5th January 22:27
If you were able to know all of the laws, you'd be in no danger of breaking any of them - as you'd never leave the house!!!!!
Grauniad article here http://politics.guardian.co.uk/tonyblair/story/0,,...
says "Tony Blair's 10 years as prime minister have been marked by a dramatic jump in the number of new laws, according to research published today.
Over the course of the last decade, each year has seen an average of 2,685 new laws - the equivalent of almost seven and a half a day or one every three-and-a-quarter hours - said legal information providers Sweet & Maxwell.
That is a 22% increase over the average 2,196 laws made annually over the previous 10 years 1987-96, and the total does not even include thousands of laws introduced into the UK under European Union regulations over the decade."
Steve
Grauniad article here http://politics.guardian.co.uk/tonyblair/story/0,,...
says "Tony Blair's 10 years as prime minister have been marked by a dramatic jump in the number of new laws, according to research published today.
Over the course of the last decade, each year has seen an average of 2,685 new laws - the equivalent of almost seven and a half a day or one every three-and-a-quarter hours - said legal information providers Sweet & Maxwell.
That is a 22% increase over the average 2,196 laws made annually over the previous 10 years 1987-96, and the total does not even include thousands of laws introduced into the UK under European Union regulations over the decade."
Steve
streaky said:
WeirdNeville said:
The vast majority of it is common sense.
To follow your EG of number plates, any reputable shop that makes them up will sell you legal ones, and tell you that they're for "show use only" if they're not legal.
My common sense is obviously lacking, could you explain that sentence? How can they be legal and not legal at the same time? Perhaps it's that the sentence construction does not meet the laws of grammar. To follow your EG of number plates, any reputable shop that makes them up will sell you legal ones, and tell you that they're for "show use only" if they're not legal.
- StreakyEdited by streaky on Sunday 6th January 17:21
WeirdNeville said:
The vast majority of it is common sense.
I think we can cope with the "vast majority". It's the new anti-sense laws that we struggle with. And these seem to be the ones that we see most regularly enforced. Perhaps because the majority of people would never dream of breaking the common-sense laws but we struggle to remain abreast of the latest nonsense laws.Forums | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff