Avoiding Legal Trouble: Tips For Staying On The Right Side

Don't break the law when you're breaking the law is a quote from a movie that has been made into a poster. The quote is quite ironic and confusing, as it is impossible to not break the law while one is already breaking it. Interestingly, a poll by onepoll.com found that the average person commits around seven crimes per week, with speeding being the most common offence. Other common offences include texting while driving, littering, and illegally downloading music.

Speeding

Understand the dangers of speeding: Speeding significantly increases the risk of accidents and can lead to tragic outcomes. The faster you drive, the less time and space you have to react to unexpected situations on the road. Speeding also reduces the effectiveness of your vehicle's protective features and road safety structures, such as guardrails.

Use cruise control: Utilise the cruise control feature in your car, which allows you to set a specific speed and takes care of maintaining and regulating your speed. This helps you focus on potential hazards instead of worrying about accelerating or decelerating. Remember to disengage cruise control in high-risk areas like construction zones or during inclement weather.

Allow extra time for your travels: Speeding often occurs when individuals are running late or feeling rushed. By giving yourself a larger time buffer, you reduce the temptation to speed and minimise the associated stress.

Monitor your speedometer: Ensure your speedometer is functioning correctly and accurately reflects your speed. If you find yourself consistently passing other vehicles while your speedometer indicates you are within the speed limit, your speedometer may need adjustment.

Learn the financial and legal costs of speeding: Research the speeding laws and penalties in your area. Understand how a speeding ticket can impact your finances, including legal fees, fines, and increased insurance premiums.

Consider the impact on your vehicle: Speeding can lead to higher fuel consumption and faster wear and tear on your tires and other components. The additional costs of maintenance and repairs can be a deterrent to speeding.

Identify your speeding triggers: Reflect on the factors that contribute to your speeding habits. Are you prone to speeding when tired, stressed, or angry? Identifying these triggers can help you develop strategies to manage your emotions and drive at a safe speed.

Practise calming exercises: If stress or anger contributes to your speeding, incorporate calming exercises such as breathing techniques or listening to soothing music. These practices can help reduce your speed and make you a more relaxed driver.

Channel your need for speed into other activities: If you enjoy the thrill of speed, consider safer alternatives such as motorsports, downhill mountain biking, go-karting, or car racing video games. Satisfying your need for speed in controlled environments keeps public roads safer.

Switch to a manual transmission vehicle: Driving a manual vehicle requires more engagement and attention to shifting gears, which can help you become more aware of your speed and prevent unintentional speeding.

Remember, breaking your speeding habit not only benefits your wallet and driving record but also contributes to making the roads safer for everyone.

Texting/talking while driving

Texting or talking on the phone while driving is dangerous and illegal in many places. It is a form of distracted driving, which is defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as any activity that diverts attention from driving. This includes talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, adjusting the radio, grooming, and interacting with passengers.

Texting while driving is particularly alarming as it takes your eyes off the road and fully switches your attention away from driving. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed. Research has shown that when drivers text, their attention is completely taken over, and their eyes are averted, which is necessary for driving.

Talking on the phone while driving is also dangerous, as your attention is divided, and your reaction time is affected. Research has shown that drivers who were on phone calls took longer to react to a car slowing down ahead of them compared to those who were not. In fact, research also shows that when people are talking on the phone, crash risk quadruples, and drivers who are on a call are at a similar risk to someone driving at the legal limit of blood alcohol content.

To avoid the dangers and legal consequences of texting or talking while driving, it is best to put the phone away and give your full attention to the road.

Littering

How about don't litter? Littering is an environmental issue and is often a criminal offence, so don't do it!

The laws on littering vary from state to state, but they all define what constitutes an illegal act of littering, who the violator is, and what the punishment will be. In Washington state, for example, fines for littering range from $103 to $5,000, with the largest fines for lit items, such as cigarettes, which can cause wildfires. In California, first-time littering starts at a $250 fine and eight hours of picking up roadside litter. A third offence can be punished with a maximum penalty of a $3,000 fine and 24 hours of litter cleanup.

So, if you don't want to break the law, don't litter! It's as simple as that. Dispose of your trash responsibly and help keep your community clean and safe.

Illegally downloading music

The invention of the internet and digital media created music piracy in its modern form. With newer technology, the piracy process became less complicated and more common. Users could add media files to the internet, and prior potential risks and difficulties associated with pirating music, such as the physicality of the process, were eliminated. The first application that demonstrated the implications of music piracy was Napster, which enabled users to exchange music files over a common free server without any regard for copyright laws. Napster was quickly shut down after lawsuits filed by Metallica and Dr. Dre, and other music-sharing services such as Limewire and BitTorrent followed suit in the subsequent years.

The economic ramifications of music piracy are difficult to assess accurately. While it is true that many people who illegally download music do so because they cannot afford to purchase legitimate copies, not every illegal download equates to a lost sale. For example, in 2002, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reported a 6.7% drop in revenue, blaming internet piracy. However, during the same period, it was estimated that 2.6 times the total number of CDs sold were downloaded for free, yet sales revenue only fell by 6.7%. This indicates a huge difference between downloading a song and stealing a physical copy.

Despite this, illegal downloading does have some real consequences for the music industry. Firstly, it results in less money for new talent. Breaking in new artists requires a significant investment of time, effort, and money, and illegal downloads cut into the budget that record companies allocate to find and promote new artists. Secondly, it leads to lower royalties for established acts. With so many songs being pirated and heard for free, it becomes difficult for established musicians to earn royalties, and they may have to bypass record companies to sell their music directly to consumers. Lastly, music piracy results in a loss of jobs in the music industry. The recording industry loses billions of dollars in revenue due to piracy, and this disproportionately affects lower-level workers such as professional songwriters, music producers, sound engineers, and technicians.

To address the issue of music piracy, industry associations like the RIAA have lobbied for stricter laws and more severe punishments for those breaking copyright law. Additionally, record companies have turned to technological barriers to copying, such as DRM, to prevent consumers from making illegal copies of music.

Riding a bicycle on the sidewalk

In the United States, each state has different laws regarding sidewalk riding. For example, in Alabama, bicycles are considered vehicles and are subject to the same laws as motor vehicles, which means they are not allowed on sidewalks. In contrast, sidewalk cycling is generally legal in Alaska, except in business districts or where prohibited by a traffic control device. Some states, like Arizona, do not specifically mention riding a bicycle on the sidewalk in their statutes, so it is important to check local ordinances.

Even in states where sidewalk riding is legal, there are often exceptions. For instance, in Delaware, it is illegal to ride a bike on a sidewalk in a business district or when a traffic-control device prohibits it. Similar restrictions apply in many other states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, and Illinois.

While some cyclists may feel safer riding on the sidewalk, it can actually be more dangerous. Sidewalks are designed for pedestrians and often do not provide enough space for cyclists to manoeuvre safely. Riding on the sidewalk can also make it more difficult for drivers to see you, increasing the risk of an accident.

In conclusion, while the laws vary, it is generally advisable to avoid riding your bicycle on the sidewalk. Instead, get comfortable with riding on the road and follow the same rules as car drivers.

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